Halo 2: Great Schism
by Gharst Omenlumin
Summary: The war's nearly over, for the Earth has been located. Blue Team is tasked to defend it, and pursue their prey to the edge of the galaxy if need be. Meanwhile, Fol and Six are called upon by ONI to negotiate with Sang'Katarn, and rally it to Humanity's aid. All while a new Arbiter, Thel Vadam, slowly learns the truth of the 'Noble' Prophet's crimes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, fellow Legion Stormtroopers. I have the first step of another story ready for you. I would like to say a few things first, before we move on to what happened. First, I would like for you all to be patient. I upload these chapters as I complete them. It means I write as fast as I can, but I can't guarantee anything. Second, a warning: I will write this in chronological order, and since Halo 3 ODST happened during Halo 2, I _know_ I will make a pause from the main story in this part in order to write it (So please no flames). Third, I recommend you read my other stories, Halo: The Flood and Halo: First Strike, in order to understand this. And Fourth, but not least, I would appreciate any reviews I can get. **

**Disclaimer: 343 Industries owns Halo, so Please don't sue me because you assume I claim I own this.**

 **Now, enjoy.**

* * *

Halo 2: Great Schism.

Chapter 1

* * *

Parangosky's offices, Bravo 6, Sydney, Australia, Earth.

Six walked over to the desk at Bravo 6, and waited.

She had been called to this base by CINCONI, Admiral Parangosky herself. One didn't leave the admiral waiting.

But in her case, Six was forced to, as the imminent invasion of Earth had everyone riled up, going from place to place. And, in effect, causing a hell of a lot of pedestrian traffic jams inside the base, despite everyone's urges to stay calm.

And here Six was, waiting just outside Parangosky's office. Waiting for whatever mission the admiral had for her.

A chime sounded, and the admiral's flag officer appeared from the hallway. "The admiral is ready to see you. Please, follow me."

Six nodded, and she followed the woman to the admiral's office.

The hallway had quite the decoration, with everything matte-black, and the walls not echoing a sound. Even with all the people here, this section of the base always seemed quiet.

It seemed Parangosky's medusa-like reputation was paying off.

Six was led into the office, and was quite surprised.

For one, the walls were bare. Six had expected for the admiral to have at least a closet of books lining the wall behind her, or a few pictures on her desk. But she had none of that. All she had were here desk, three chairs for others to sit in, and her own chair. Everything, aside from the overhead light, was either matte-black or dark gray.

For another, there were almost no people present. Just the Admiral, Captain Osman and the resident turn-coat Elite, with the former two in deep conversation. Normally the admiral had at least three people with her as advisors.

For a third, the Elite, Fol Katarn, was not dead. And he was in armor.

Six turned to him. "Ah, so that's why I missed you at the menu of the annual ONI banquet. You weren't dead yet."

Fol turned to her, and let out a Sangheili smile, which was just the slight showing of his jaws while keeping his mandibles closed. "And you'd think Parangosky would let me die without notifying you first? You are her first choice as an executioner."

"Fair enough."

at this point the admiral and captain finally looked up from their business. "Ah, you're here. Good. Let's get to work." at this, Osman grabbed a datapad, and used it to activate something on the office's holographic display systems, which could encompass the entire room. It showed a single planet, actually blood red, surrounded by two moons and two asteroid belts, which effectively formed a cross.

"Sang'Katarn." Osman said. "According to Fol, who has been an accurate source of intel over the past month, the planet has been ready to rebel against the Covenant for some time. He claims they have technology superior to that of the Covenant. Your objective is to get to Sang'Katarn, and convince the governing body of Sang'Katarn to side with humanity. At any cost."

Six nodded, though she had many questions. All concerning who would be sent.

"Permission to speak my mind, admiral?"

Parangosky nodded.

Six looked at her and the Captain. "Ma'am's, all due respect, why me? I'm not a diplomat, but a soldier. What use am I amongst the politicians of this day?"

"I can answer that." Fol said. "Sang'Katarn has long despised diplomats. If anyone wanted something of us, they had to beat a councilor in combat, either by sword or by ship. And we would comply. And Spartans are highly respected on my planet for their skill. And I admit I am the one that made it so, spreading word of your skill and determination rather than your crimes. A Spartan would, even without saying anything, have more success than a hundred diplomats."

Six nodded. "Now I understand why a Spartan has to be send. But why me? I'm rated as Hyperlethal, and you need me in the defense of the planet. I-"

"The Master Chief and Blue Team can handle the Covenant at Earth." Osman interrupted her. "And while you would be an invaluable asset, We need to send a skilled combatant. And the more skilled, the better. Besides, Fol recommended you'd be sent."

Six tilted her head. _Her former prey had recommended his hunter should come to his nest? This was interesting._

"He speaks highly of you." Osman explained. "And said that if any Spartan would make a chance in there, it'd be you."

Six looked at Fol. "Sure you want me within fifty lightyears of your family? You came after mine, after all."

Fol nodded. "Jun lived to tell the tale, right? Besides, they can defend themselves. Especially from you."

Six nodded, then looked at the pair, both current and next-in-line CINCONI. "Then all my objections are silenced. When do we leave?"

"Later in the hour." Osman said. "You will receive a Prowler, along with an AI to man her. Take care of your business before 05:30, as that's the time you'll depart."

Six handed Osman a datapad. "Just my request about the status of the Gettysburg guys. As soon as I have that, I'm ready to depart."

Osman nodded. "The Spartans, save for Jun, are up at Cairo with Hood, for the celebration later today. As are Johnson, Stacker, Dubbo and Wilson. Wilson's daughter currently lives in New Mombasa, under the care of a relative. McGregor has... dropped off our grid at the moment." Osman said the last part with hesitancy, briefly looking at Parangosky for approval. She'd nodded.

Six was impressed. Very few people could drop off of ONI's radar like that. But Osman continued on, so she continued listening. "Tends to Rise and his Huragok buddies are fine, working on ONI projects, location classified. Jun is recruited for a... Special program."

though Six didn't say so, she knew what Osman was going at. Jun had been approached by former Spartan recruit commander Musa-096, asking Jun to help him train the next generation of Spartans. Jun had complied with a bit of hesitation, not eager to leave the battlefield while his brothers and sisters still fought on. But he had accepted, after Six had convinced him. She knew because she was present when Musa asked Jun.

"Understood. Which Prowler do I report to?"

"The UNSC _Hidden Veil_. Her AI is called void. He's... unusual." Parangosky answered.

"As in?" Fol asked.  
"He has no personality." Osman answered. "I've worked with him before. While he's just as good as Cortana or Black-Box, he's chosen to sacrifice emotions and personality in exchange for more processing power. He can hack the ONI mainframe in the blink of an eye if he wanted to, but he's just as conversational as a dumb AI."

"Ah, I'm used to it." Fol said. "Six is just like that."

Six glared at him, but he ignored it.

Parangosky sighed. "Then I have nothing more to say. Please, I have a busy timeframe. Especially with the coming attack. And you have urgent tasks to accomplish."

Six and Fol nodded, and they saw themselves out.

Seeing the infamous planet of Sang'Katarn. Despite herself, Six found she was a little bit excited.

She hoped Sam would have just as much fun in the next few days.

* * *

High Council Chamber, High-Charity, Orbit over Threshold and ruins of Installation 04

Thel Vadam braced himself as he entered the chambers. The last time he'd been here had been over thirty years ago, when he'd witnessed the trial of Gharst Omenlumin.

He had abandoned his post during the Harvest Campaign, sending his men away from Vice Admiral Cole's fleet in order to save their lives, rather than throw them at Cole's fleet as he'd been ordered. It had cost them the planet as a result, and a lot of warriors had died regaining it. Save to say, Gharst's men had been executed, and Gharst had been exiled from High-Charity. He hadn't been seen since.

And now, Thel was called forward in a similar manner, as he'd failed.

He had discovered a Halo, one of the sacred rings. And he failed to keep it safe, letting Demons destroy it. He had failed the Hierarchs, preventing the Covenant from ascending into the divine beyond. By all accounts, he should be dead already.

He stepped onto the stage area as the High Council quieted down. The Prophet of Truth looked at him, and spoke. "Let this trial start, by recounting the events of the last lunar rotation."

Thel nodded. "Very well. It started at the assault, during which all of their ships were annihilated. Save one."

"One?" the Prophet of Regret, present via hologram since he was currently traveling to a world the Forerunners had called Erde Tyrene, asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Thel said. "They called it the Pillar of Autumn."

There were slight murmurs among the council members, but they quickly quieted down.

"Why was it not destroyed, with the rest of their fleet?" The Prophet of Mercy asked, his voice letting his outrage show. Thel ignored the tone, and answered.

"It fled, as we set fire to their planet." Thel thought back to the scene. The planet reach, burning. The mighty defense fleet of it turned to cinders.

And the Autumn fleeing the scene. And Thel and the fleet of Particular Justice pursuing it.

To Halo.

"But I followed with all the ships at my command."

"When you first saw Halo," Regret asked "Were you blinded by it's majesty?"

"Blinded?" Thel asked, confused.

"Paralyzed? Dumbstruck?" Regret supplied.

"No." Thel; said resolutely. He clearly remembered being busy. Namely, wit asserting his command on the matter over the Prophet of Stewardship, and ensuring Fol Katarn'ee gained control of the ship as fast as possible.

How mistaken he had been in trusting the accursed Field-Marshal.

"And yet the humans were able to evade your ships," Regret continued "land on the sacred ring, and desecrate it with their filthy footsteps."

"Noble Hierarchs, surely you understand that once the parasite was unleashed-" at this, Thel was drowned out by outrage from the councilors. Mercy tried to calm them down. "There will be order in this Council!"

But someone lay a hand on Mercy, and moved him aside so he had a better view. The only one Thel didn't want to speak.

The Prophet of Truth.

"You were right to focus your attention on the Flood, but these demons, led by the 'Master Chief', not to mention the betrayal of Fol Katarn'ee..." Thel understood.

Fol had been legendary among the Covenant, either because of or in spite of his Sang'Katarn origins. The former, because of Sang'Katarn always delivering excellent warriors, Fol had had a lot of expectations to live up to. And he had exceeded them. He had become legendary, and every Elite aspired to one day be like Fol. The latter, because Sang'Katarn warriors were known to have... questionable stances concerning the Great Journey, and they were often looked down upon by the San'Shyuum because of it.

But Fol had managed to rise above them, and had served as an example for anyone aspiring to become better.

His betrayal had hit harder than anything the Covenant had suffered so far in this war, even more than the destruction of the Shield World by the Spirit of Fire, or the defeat of over 300 ships near Psi Serpentis.

Morale had plummeted just as much because of Halo's destruction as because of Fol siding with the humans. And to know that Fol had aided in the former...

"By the time I learned of their intend," Thel finally said. "There was nothing I could do."

The council went at each other again, yelling that Thel was a traitor. Thel could see the Jiralhanae Tartarus, who was often present for such gatherings, chuckle at the display.

Regret moved to whisper something in Truth's ear. After a moment, Truth held up his hand, silencing everyone.

"You are one of our most treasured instruments." he began. "Long have you led your fleet with honor and distinction. But Fol Katarn'ee also had done such a service to our cause, and he destroyed a Sacred Ring. And your ability to both safeguard Halo and prevent this betrayal... were _colossal_ _failures_."

One of the Councilors, the Prophet of Objection, stood up. "Nay, It was Heresy."

the councilors, provoked by the boldness of the statement, started to yell. Thel looked between all of them. If he did not do something that showed his commitment, showed he was still loyal to their faith, then he would be killed.

"I will continue my campaign against the Humans!" he boldly stated.

But Truth held his ground. "No! You will not." at this, the council fell silent.

Two Jiralhanae stepped forward, attempting to lead him away. Thel growled at them, and shrugged their paws off. He wouldn't be led away to his fate by a Brute. He would walk there himself.

"Soon, the Great Journey shall begin." Truth said behind his back. "But when it does, the weight of your heresy will stay your feet, and you shall be left behind."

Thel lamented that, as he was led to the open area where all who failed the Covenant were sent.

The stage, as it was called: A ledge visible to the entire population of High-Charity. Everyone who had failed the Hierarchs in some way were sent here, to be shamed out in the open.

As Thel walked past many beings, he was called many names, mostly by the T'vaoans and Ruuhtians and Unggoy. Heretic. Traitor. Shame of the Covenant. Weakling. He was called all of these, and more. Thel still preferred this to what Gharst had gone through. Seven thousand of his men executed in front of his eyes. That was horrible to witness, even for Thel.

They finally arrived at the stage, where he was bound by energy cuffs in the open. Tartarus, who had followed him, looked around. "You've drawn quite a crowd." he said gleefully.  
"If they came to hear me beg, they will be disappointed." Thel retorted bitterly.

"Are you sure?" Tartarus asked malevolently.

Thel wanted to give a retort, but was forced to bite his jaws in pain, as the Energy beams his him first. It went on like that for five minutes non-stop. And, true to his word, Thel never said anything. No pleas, no begging, no protest. Nothing came from him. After about five minutes, it stopped. Thel looked around, as he caught his wind. He noticed Tartarus had started addressing the crowd. "...There can be _no_ greater Heresy! Let this be an example of _all_ who would break our Covenant!"

As if on a signal, two Jiralhanae stepped forward, and they started stripping him of his armor, which had been blackened by the energy beams. Thel could only watch as they stripped him down to his bear bones, throwing his armor to the ground. After they were done, a large Branding Iron rose from a hidden panel in the floor, and Thel looked on in anticipation.

The Iron bore the Mark of Shame.

Tartarus grabbed it, and, after looking at it for a moment, put the glowing part to Thel's chest.

Thel tried to fight the pain, but, tired as he was from the previous torture, didn't hold.

And though he didn't beg, he was sure his screams would be heard all across High-Charity.

* * *

Armory section, Earth Orbital Defense platform designate 'Cairo station', Earth's orbit.

"Your plating was about to fail. There's viscosity throughout the gel layer." The master gunnery sergeant said, as he looked at Sam, holding one of the armor plates out in front of him. Sam rolled his eyes behind his helmet. They had just arrived up at Cairo station, having gotten word that Hood wanted them to test the new Spartan armor.

Sam had, upon arriving, chosen the same variant as his previous version, which he'd used for weeks: the CQB variant, which had tougher armor plating and, due to a few modifications he had made himself, amplified strength. It also allowed him to carry more rockets and ammo for his minigun. That is, if he could find a new one, anyway. He briefly looked at his combat knife, or rather, the one Six had given him, the Kukri. Ever since arriving back at Earth, he hadn't been able to get word about her, and he missed her, to his own surprise.

Sam looked to the other Spartans present. Fred had opted for Centurion-class armor, as it offered more freedom of movement and allowed him to reach his knives more easily. Fred had taken it, after switching from the Commando variant he had worn at Reach and Unyielding Hierophant.

Will had opted for the JFO-class armor of Mjolnir, as he'd developed a sort of attachment to the class. Sam chuckled. Will had chosen that armor when Allison had given it to him during their first time wearing it at Chi Ceti, after he'd initially shied away from it. But after Allie's death, Will had always opted to wear that variant, likely in his own way of paying respect to it. Sam didn't mind.

Linda, as he'd suspected, had kept the Argus-class armor she'd worn since the beginning of the war, only switching when there had been made a better version of said class. As had happened a few weeks ago. The Gunnery sergeant was addressing her now. " _Your_ optics are fried more thoroughly than a Chicken at Johnson's barbecue."

The Sergeant then turned to the final member present. Master Chief John-117, and Sam's childhood friend since training.

"And you. I'm not even gonna start on the power supply of your armor. Your AI has drained it to the point of being near-useless. You are aware how expensive this gear is, son?"

John picked up the helmet of his new armor, the Mark-VI version, and put it on.

Mjolnir, while having many versions, had a general class of armor which every Spartan was given at first until they chose the new class of the armor. John had always opted to keep it, even if he had requested at the last version that it was designed like the last version, the Mark-V: it had to be able of carrying an AI.

"Tell that to the Covenant." John said, as he sealed his helmet. Sam smiled, and saw that Fred and Linda were putting on their own helmets as well.

"Well," Sam said. "with these new versions it was getting obsolete anyway. Tried out the new targeting systems of it yet?"

"Yes, though I haven't had the chance to test the new shield systems." John answered.  
"I heard they copied the systems from... _his_ armor." Will said. "If you know who I mean."

"Oh, relax." The Sergeant said. "I know about a month ago a Field-Marshal defected to our cause. No need of keeping it from me. And yes, the new upgrades came from him. His armor's real good."

Sam nodded, and John stepped into the Shield testing station. Sam started it up, and after a moment, the shields were drained. They started recharging immediately, and finished doing so in half a second. Sam was impressed, even if he had seen it before. At their previous armor versions, they had to wait ten seconds before the recharge even started. And the recharge process had taken five seconds, which was a long time in a firefight. John whistled.  
"Yes." Will said. "Now you can be just as reckless as Six. Wherever she is."

Sam laughed. "John always was reckless. He merely covered it up by delivering excellent results."

Then the elevator behind them opened, and two people entered, both in dress uniform. One had dark skin and black hair, and looked to be in his late forties. The other was tanned, had black hair, a mustache and very short beard as well, appearing in his middle forties.

Sergeant Avery Junior Johnson, and Corporal Richard 'Richie' Wilson.

Wilson looked on at the testing station. "There, now you don't have to hide anymore. Lucky bastard."

Sam turned to him. "Jealous, Wilson?"

"Nah. Ok, a little. It would be nice to have energy shields around me."

Sam nodded. "Yeah. But they don't sell it to pricks."

Wilson reeled back in mock offense. "How _dare_ you say that about me? Only my daughter may call me that."

"Give him a skirt, and the resemblance is very close." Johnson said, before turning to the armory's sergeant. "You done with these kids here, master guns? I don't see any training wheels."

"Their armor's working fine, Johnson, so shut your chili-hole." The sergeant responded. "You're free to go, kids, just remember, take things slow."

"Don't worry." Wilson said. "I'll hold their hands." Wilson jokingly reached out to Sam. Sam, going with it, grabbed it, and lifted him in the air. "More like we hold yours."

Wilson laughed, as he was let down. "We'd better go. Hood's waiting, and I don't want to get my ass sent to Parangosky. I might lose it down there."

Sam nodded, and he and the others entered the elevator, leaving the gunnery sergeant behind.

"Johnson, when you gonna tell me how you made it back home in one piece?" The Sergeant asked, as Will entered the elevator last."

"Sorry, guns." Johnson answered. "It's classified."

The sergeant grumbled. "Huh! My ass! Well, you can forget about those adjustments to your A2 scope! And you're surely..."

but then the elevator door closed, and the sergeant was cut off as they moved away. Wilson turned to the others. "Well, he's grumpy."

"Hood didn't send him an invitation, that's all." Johnson said dismissively. "Tomorrow he'll be happy as hell it's over."

Then the elevator stopped, and they exited, moving over to the tram-cart waiting for them, that would take them to the control room. And the ceremony.

They entered, and as soon as they did, the door closed, and they moved to the front of the station. Earth became visible through the station's windows, and Sam couldn't help but admiring it.

"Earth." Wilson said. "Haven't seen her in years since the Gettysburg."

Johnson nodded, then gestured behind them, to Cairo's station's main cannon. A Super-MAC.  
"When I shipped out for basic, the Orbital Defense Grid was all theory and politics. Now look!" the other two stations of this part of the grid, the Athens and the Malta, became visible. "The Cairo is just one of _three hundred_ geosync platforms. That MAC-gun can put a round clean through a Covenant capital ship. With coordinated fire from the Athens and the Malta, nothing's getting past this battle cluster in one piece."

Wilson nodded. While they looked, three more ships jumped into the system, two Stalwart-class light frigates and a Marathon-class heavy cruiser. "Ships have been arriving all morning." Wilson said, as the others looked. "Nobody's saying much, but I think we all know what is gonna happen."

Sam nodded. Back before they'd arrived at Earth, they had learned the Covenant had located Earth. And HIGHCOM has been calling every ship they had to Earth, in preparation for the inevitable invasion. He wondered when it exactly would come.

The tram then stopped, and Sam looked outside. They were near the station's control room, where the ceremony would be held.

They were greeted by a dozen cheering marines spread across the walkway between them and the control room. A robot camera drone flew past, filming them as they exited the tram.

"I thought you said there wouldn't _be_ any cameras." Linda said.

"And _you_ told _me_ you were all gonna wear something nice!" Johnson retorted. "Folks need heroes, Linda. To give them hope."

"So cheer up." Wilson said. "And hope that the Covenant invasion happens during the ceremony."

Sam just rolled his eyes, and walked into the Control room with the others.

Inside, there were even more people, both officers on duty at various stations and consoles, and officers here because they were invited to the ceremony. They numbered in over the dozens.

And all stood at attention for them.

"You know," Sam said to the Spartans on a private channel "I wonder what Six would have done: pose for the cameras or start a killing spree for wasting time on mere ceremonies instead of getting ready for the invasion."  
"Why not both?" Will asked. "She's crazy enough for it. Pose first, and as soon as the cameras shift away from her, start slaughtering us."

"Red would look good on these walls." Linda said.

"I admit I enjoy the prospect of Six painting the walls." John cut in "But we're getting close to Hood. So be nice and quiet. And ruin everyone's mood later."

Sam laughed. "Aye, Cap'n." they all fell silent after that, as they all walked up to Hood. They all lined up, with Sam, John and Johnson up front, and Fred, Linda, Will and Wilson at the back. Sam noted Stacker and Dubbo were standing near the wall, serving as a sort of honor guard. The Spartans, Marine and ODST all saluted. Hood returned it.

"Gentlemen, Lady, we're lucky to have you back."

An officer walked up to Hood, and whispered something in his ear. Hood's look soured. Hood turned to the display, and the data pedestal next to it. "Go ahead, Cortana."

Cortana chose that moment to appear, her avatar only about thirty centimeters tall. "Another whisper, Sir. Near Io. We have drones en-route." Hood looked back at the Spartans as this was said.

"I'm sorry, people, but we'll have to make this quick." Hood briefly turned away to grab something. Cortana briefly looked at them. She then smiled. "You look nice."

"Thanks." John and Sam said at the same time. They turned to each other in annoyance, before looking at Hood again. Hood had grabbed a small box, containing a Colonial Cross medal.

"Sergeant Major." He started. "The Colonial Cross is awarded for acts of singular daring and devotion, for a soldier of the United Earth Space Corps the highest award one can aspire to in time of war. It is an honor to award it to you. Congratulations." he pinned it to the Sergeant's chest, and saluted. The Sergeant returned it.

Hood moved on to every one else of the group, and gave similar speeches to them, as they were all awarded a Colonial Cross, and Wilson also receiving a Purple Heart, for the injury he had sustained in the Library. Dubbo and Stacker already had received their medals earlier. Sam briefly looked over at a small row of four officers standing at attention behind Hood. After Hood finished with John, who was the last one to get his medals, one of the officers, a woman, stepped forward. She moved to stand beside Johnson. Sam briefly glanced at her in curiosity. He _knew_ he had seen her before, and that he knew her name. But from _where_?

Hood moved to stand in front of her. "Commander Miranda Keyes."

So that was it. _She was Captain Jacob Keyes' daughter!_

"Your Father's actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service. His bravery in the face of impossible odds reflects great credit, upon himself, and the UNSC. The Navy has lost one of its best" Sam noted a tear rolled down her eyes, as she accepted her father's medal. They then all turned to the main display as an alarm went off. Cortana's face took on a look of concern.

"Slipspace ruptures, directly off our battle cluster."

"Show me." Hood said.

Cortana complied, and the screen showed the immediate space above Earth. Fifteen contacts appeared on the borders, near the moon Luna. "Sixteen Covenant Capital Ships holding position just outside the Kill-zone."

A new formation of ships launched from some of the Defense Platforms. A small pop-up appeared next to it, containing details on which ships were attached with the group.

"This is Fleet Admiral Harper." came over the Com. "We are engaging the enemy."

"Negative, Admiral." Hood said. "Form a defensive perimeter around the cluster." He turned to the group. "Commander, get back to your ship. Link up with the Fleet."

"Yes, sir." the commander said, as she walked away to one of the hatches exiting the room. Hood turned back to the display. "Something's not right. The fleet that destroyed Reach was twenty times this size."

then one of the sensor officers turned to Hood. "Sir, additional contacts." his voice sounded panicked. "Boarding craft, and lots of them!"

Cortana modified the display, showing the boarding craft as well. They numbered in over the hundreds.

"They're going to try to take our MAC guns offline," Hood said. "give their capital ships a straight shot at Earth." Hood turned to them, and sam knew what he would say next. "Blue Team, defend this station."

John nodded for them. "Yes sir." John then turned to Johnson and Wilson. "We'll need weapons."

Wilson smiled. "Right this way." he then led the way, out of the room. They went out the same way they came in, through the hatch near the tram. Instead of going directly ahead, towards the tram, however, Wilson led them left, towards a group of weapon lockers. Wilson grabbed a case that lay on the ground. He smiled. "It seems Gunny got my note after all." he turned to Linda. "I had something prepared for you, in case of an emergency." he opened the case.

Inside, assembled and loaded with ammo, was Linda's custom Sniper Rifle. Nornfang. Sam knew Linda was smiling now. "Thanks." Linda said. "I could use this."

Sam nodded in thanks as well, and turned to one of the lockers. He grabbed a pair of SMG's and holstered them. He then grabbed a Battle rifle, and grabbed as much ammo as he could carry. Sam noted the others all had the same load-out, except for Linda, as she had a Battle Rifle and Nornfang.

Sam turned to John, who was consulting Cortana. After he finished, he turned to them. "Alright, it's overkill if we all deploy together, so we split up and prioritize. Will, defend the Control room. Linda, head for MAC-storage. There are enough explosives there to blow this station trice. Fred, you're at Fire control. Sam, we run interference, clearing boarders and emergencies as they pop up. Cortana will relay us the situations if we are needed. Move out."

All members of Blue team nodded, and headed for their respective areas. Johnson was waiting near a hatch, and was organizing a group of marines, all still in dress uniform, as they prepared to repel a group that had boarded near their position. Sam headed up a balcony area, in an ideal flanking position. John took up position near the marines, manning a machine gun. Sam was sorry he'd missed it, and would gladly take it with him. But the marines would need it more than he did.

"How's it going, Malta?" Johnson asked.

"They're storming us as they exit the pods. Nothing we can't handle. They're in standard formation: little bastards up front, big ones in back. Good luck."

Sam looked at John, and gestured at the pile of grenades next to him. John nodded, and tossed Sam a bandolier containing four grenades. Sam caught it, and added the grenades to his belt.

Then a bright light appeared at the top of the seam of the door near the boarders, and Sam raised his battle rifle, wishing he could use a rocket near here. But this close to the Hull, it could penetrate it, and kill all of the marines, none of which had no vacuum-tight armor. He'd just have to take proper aim, and hope he was up to it.

The light went down the entire seam, and seemed to disappear. But then, after a few seconds, the door exploded towards the marines, and a Covenant lance consisting of three Elites and eight grunts ran towards them.

Sam threw a grenade into the midst of the group, taking out a pair of Grunts and the shields of one Elite. It turned to him, but received a burst from Sam's Battle Rifle for his troubles. The other two Elites turned to him as well.

But the Chief, still manning the machine gun, suppressed them by giving them a volley of bullets, forcing them into cover.

Giving Sam the opportunity to finish them off by throwing another grenade into their midst. Their shields were killed in an instant, and one had a massive wound from a piece of Shrapnel that had pierced it's wrist armor. Sam obliged it by shooting it in the head with his battle rifle. The other turned to Sam, and raised it's Plasma rifles.

And was subsequently cut down, as the twelve marines concentrated their fire on it. It took on the bullets like a sponge took on water. It dropped to the floor, forming a pool of blood even Sam would slip on. John moved away from the machine gun, and focused fire on the grunts with his SMG's. The Grunts, demoralized by the fact their leaders were killed, tried to flee back into the door.

And skidded to a halt, as Sam jumped right into the threshold of the doorway. And Sam, being 238,8 centimeters tall, was nearly twice as tall as the Grunts. The grunts ran in terror. Only to run into John, who they had originally been running from. The pair cut the Grunts down.

John, after finishing them off, reloaded his SMG's and turned to the marines. "Keep this area secure. Shoot anything that isn't human."

The marine sergeant nodded. "Yes, sir." she said. As she said this, Johnson put his finger to his ear, listening to the radio. After a moment, he walked off. "And where are you going?" Sam asked.

"The Commander is getting some resistance on her way to the In Amber Clad." Johnson said. "She needs an escort, and Hood has assigned me."

John nodded. "Good luck." Johnson nodded, and he moved off.

Sam headed into the hallway, followed by John. They each looked one way. Sam's end was a dead end, so he turned the other way. It was an empty hallway, and a Covenant-built Plasma cutter lay next to the threshold of the door on the ground. Sam and John headed into the hallway, as it led to the Hanger. Sam knew because they had walked this way when they had boarded the station when they had returned here on the Gettysburg.

A pair of Grunts came around the corner, and Sam shot them in the head with his Battle Rifle. John turned to him. "Care to save some for me?"

"I am. When a hunter or group of Elites comes around the corner, you can shoot first."  
"Thank you. But you can have the Hunters. You seem to like ripping them in two."

Sam laughed. "That's only to impress the new folks on the team."

John stopped in his tracks. "Aha. So you _did_ do it to impress Six."

Sam stopped, and mentally kicked himself. _Damn these slip-ups._

"Yep. Never denied it to you, did I?"

"That's only because we have the decency to never ask, Sam." John said. "But thank you for confirming our suspicions."

"You're welcome." Sam said sarcastically.

They entered the hanger, and saw what was the source of the attacks.

Two Covenant boarding crafts, nicknamed Ticks by marines, were wedged into the hanger doors, cutting through the transparent metal of the hanger doors. And crawling the hanger were dozens of Covenant soldiers, consisting of Elites, Drones, Jackals, Grunts, and even a pair of Skirmishers. Sam was surprised they were here, as Fol had indicated that they had suffered many casualties to their kind during the war, and that they were becoming an endangered species. The pair was up on the catwalks above, keeping an eye on the entrances of the Hanger. It didn't take them long to spot the pair of Spartans.

Sam and John shot them without a second thought.

Of course, it attracted the attention of the other soldiers in the Hanger.

"Somehow, I think I needed those Stealth lessons you guys recommended." Sam said.

"You and me both. But that still won't stop me from getting more kills than you." John said.  
"You're on." and both Spartans opened fire on the mass of Covenant soldiers.

The Drones were the first to fall, suffering a lot of casualties as each shot of the Spartans was a headshot. And the Yanme'e were a fragile species. They exploded from the force of the projectiles after they were hit.

The others tried to stop them, but Sam disrupted their lines by throwing his remaining amount of grenades at them, and shooting the grenades, forcing them to explode prematurely. The explosion killed five grunts and three Jackals, as well as downing the shields of an Elite that stood too close. The surviving soldiers all jumped into cover. Sam turned back to the drones.

Of which only three were still alive, the rest killed by John as he'd focused his fire on the drones. Sam shot the final three as they were turned away from him. Sam picked up a dropped plasma grenade, and threw it at an Elite Ultra that popped out of cover. It stuck to the Elite's face, and the Elite panicked for a moment before it exploded. After the flash of said explosion, Sam couldn't find either the Elite's head or helmet.

Then gunfire came from behind him, and a group of seven Grunts died, and three elites died as five Grenades were thrown at them, exploding as John hit them while in the air. Sam turned around.

A group of marines and ODST's, led by Dubbo and Wilson, all of which now wore marine and ODST armor, led a charge to retake the hanger. They all charged, with a group of three ODST's even carrying a Machine gun turret, and setting it up in the doorway. Sam nodded in thanks, and fired on the four Elites that were still remaining. He picked up a dropped plasma pistol, and overcharged it in order to quickly down the shield of one Elite. As soon as one popped up, a major, Sam fired the bolt. It hit the Elite square in the chest, and Sam finished it off with a burst from his SMG. John threw a grenade, and the shields of a pair of jackals died. Sam shot them in the head. He then turned to a pair of Elites.

And, as usual by now, Wilson had managed to shock him. Wilson had activated an obselete HRUNTING Mark III Exoskeleton, commonly known as a Cyclops, that was scheduled to be scrapped, and used it to grab the Elites by their throats, and slammed them into the wall. Their heads had severed from the force of the punch, and Sam could even see a few bits of bone embedded into the wall. He had just turned in time to see Wilson pull back the corpses from the wall, and shake the hands of the Cyclops clean.

The final Elite, a mere Minor, turned to look at the carnage that was being caused, and stood still in shock for a moment.

A moment he shouldn't have, as John jumped onto it's back, and snapped it's neck. Sam turned to look who was still remaining.

It weren't that many, merely five Jackals and three Grunts. Sam and Dubbo finished them off with a volley of picked up Plasma grenades. The Jackals went last, as their shields bought them a split second more before they died as well.

The marines, after making sure no Covenant soldiers were alive, moved to secure positions in the hanger, placing more machine gun turrets. Wilson got out of the Cyclops, making a bow as he landed on the hanger floor. "And that's why a Cyclops will never be outdated. Oh, how I will miss these beauties."

Sam just shook his head. "You know, sometimes I think you should go back to the asylum, just to ensure _we_ don't go insane from your antics." Wilson laughed in response.

Dubbo pointed outside, to Malta station. "Hey, check it out! The Malta's already driven off its boarders!" Sam turned to look. Indeed, Sam could see that a lot of the boarding craft from earlier were leaving the station. And they were in a hurry.

"Malta, what is your status, over?" Cortana asked.

"I don't believe it." Malta control said. "They're retreating! We've wo-"

But the man on the other end was interrupted as the center of the station suddenly exploded, and the barrel of it's Super-MAC started to tumble away, to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Sam grimaced.

"This is bad. Real bad." Dubbo said. Sam couldn't agree more.

But they moved on, onto the next hanger.

* * *

John loaded his final clip into his rifle, as they cleared the second hanger. He looked around the hanger.

This one had been less filled up, as the Ticks had breached the doors only moments before John, Sam and the marines had entered the hanger. They had taken care of the Covenant soldiers as they were still in the tubes of the ticks, effectively putting them in bottlenecks. It had been, as Johnson would put it, a turkey-shooting. But, once again, Dubbo soured everyone's mood.

"Uh oh! Hey, they're leaving the Athens!"

John looked, and indeed, the Covenant were leaving the Athens in the same style as the Malta. And, after a moment, it exploded, in the same way as the Malta. The shockwave toppled most of the marines.

"Cortana, assessment." Hood ordered over the com.

"That explosion came from inside the Athens. Same as the Malta. The Covenant must have brought something with them. A bomb."

"Then they sure as hell brought one here." Hood said. "Blue team, be on the lookout for those bombs at your locations. 117, 034: find it."

"Affirmative." John said. "We'll get right on that."

he then moved down, and Sam followed. They entered a maintenance corridor, and followed it for a few minutes. It exited near MAC-storage, so Linda would be nearby. Sure enough, as they exited the corridor, Linda was choking the life out of the final Elite present, a Zealot. They were both lying on the ground, The Elite lying on its stomach while Linda sat atop it, her legs around it's body and her arms around its neck, pulling it's head back as far as possible. It struggled for a moment, before its arm let go and hung limply. Linda pounded its head into the floor. She stood up. "This area's clear, sir. No bomb here."

John nodded. "Keep it that way. There is enough ammunition here to blow the place to kingdom come."

Linda grabbed her sniper rifle, and held it high. "No worries, Sir. They'll have to go through me before they get a shot at this place."

Sam grabbed a plasma grenade from the Zealot's corpse, and tossed it to Linda. Linda thanked him, and the pair of Spartans continued on. They didn't encounter any resistance for a few minutes, as he Covenant had been cleared in this area by Linda. John noted a lot of them didn't even make it out of their boarding craft, and a lot of ricochet marks lined the walls of the Ticks. Sam nodded, impressed. "Linda's been busy."

"Yes, with more success than us."

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I've always wanted a bomb for Christmas. Can we save it for next month? Please?"

John shook his head. "It would level the city you'd receive the present in. Besides, I'm already planning for another present."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

Sam nodded. "True. Still, can't blame me for trying."

John wanted to reply, but then he heard gunfire further ahead. It was followed by Plasma fire, and a call. "Tell your friends I got enough ammo for all of 'ya!" John sprinted ahead to see what was going on.

They ended up in the armory. The Master Gunnery Sergeant was firing at a pair of Elites with a shotgun. The Elites, however, had him outnumbered five-to-one. It didn't take long for him to die. John and Sam weren't in time to save him, as he was stabbed in the abdomen by an Energy sword.

They could, however, take revenge.

John and Sam charged, with each of them throwing Plasma grenades at the group. Two of the five Elites were stuck with Grenades, killing them and draining the shields of the other. John jumped straight into one, tackling it to the ground. He punched it in the face multiple times, until it's face literally wasn't recognizable anymore due to the amount of skull fragments and blood. He got up, and looked at how Sam was faring.

Sam was holding one of the Elites in the air, throwing it into the ceiling multiple times and catching it. The other Elite was already dead, its skull bashed in and its head turned at such an angle that wasn't natural.

After Sam threw it a final time, he let it drop. John saw its spine had been severed. "Oops." John said, pointing. Sam bent over to look, and tilted his head. "Yep. Definitely an accident." Sam said. "Car crash. Thrown fifteen meters."

John laughed. "Great job, sherlock. Now let's find that bomb."

"Aye, cap'n" Sam said, as usual in his pirate-like voice. They stocked up on ammunition, with John grabbing the shotgun from the Gunnery Sergeant. They then moved out.

Straight into a plaza with threw Zealots. John fired on the closest one, who was still unaware he was behind him. Its shields died from the blast, and Sam finished it off with a Battle Rifle burst. The two others turned to them, grabbing their Energy Swords. John fired at one with his SMG's, trying to keep it from charging at Sam. Sam did likewise with the other one. The Zealots, however, were not to be deterred. They charged at them, letting the shields take the blows. They were almost within striking range.

John dropped his SMG's for the moment, and ducked away from the strikes of the one attacking him. John tried to grab the sword arm of it as it swung at him, but it pulled away at the last second, jumping away to make some distance between the two of them. John raised his hands like a boxer's, and beckoned the Elite forward. The Zealot, eager for a challenge, holstered the sword, and raised his hands in a similar combat stance. It moved a bit closer to John.

Big mistake.

John grabbed it's hands, and twisted them, dislocating the wrists. As it howled in pain, John let go of one hand, and grabbed it at the throat. And squeezed. It let out a single cry of pain, before it fell down, it's spine severed by the pressure of John's hand. He turned to Sam. He was still trying to evade his Zealot's strikes, both unaware one of the Zealots had been taken care off. Sam grabbed it at the head, and gave it a knee in the face, shattering the ornate helmet as he did so. He then grabbed its neck, and pushed it's face into the floor, hard.

John could see it's head caved in from the pressure, and blood seeped out from the eyes. Sam got up, picking up his SMG's as he did. John looked at the three corpses. "Sam, have you noted you have been becoming more and more violent with each passing day?"

Sam turned to him. "Yes. I blame it on not knowing my full strength, though."

"Arm-wrestle a Brute and find out."

Sam laughed. "Oh, pity the Brute who's forced to do so."

They moved on. Once again, they met an area largely clear of Covenant. They were traveling for nearly five minutes when they heard a pair of Grunts. John stopped, and Sam did likewise, following his lead. They halted near a corner, and John was sure the Grunt were beyond it. But he held his fire. For what they were saying was interesting.

"You think Fol's right? Could San'Shyuum be false?" the first said.

"Don't know. Big guys always followed orders from chair guys. Unusual for one to leave us." another said.

"But he wouldn't do it without reason. He legend."

"But he also traitor."

"Fol could have point. What if chair guys lie?"  
"Too far above our lives. Just follow orders and sip fusion. Life's easier that way."

"I'd guess you're right."

with that, John could hear more steps coming their way, and he primed a frag grenade. He tossed it around the corner, and heard the screams of the Grunts as they died. He moved on. Sam looked at the grunts. "Shame about them. They could have joined us."

"But they chose not to, so we continue on."

Sam nodded, despite being displeased about it, and they continued on. It seemed the Station had already been cleared of marines here, as Sam and John found a lot of corpses, and no one alive.

Sam eyed one of the corpses, picking up the Jackal's arm briefly. "Fol said that he had quite a reputation among Covenant troops, and that word of his defection would cause moral to drop."

John looked around a bit himself, gathering a bit of ammo. "I heard. He said moral of the Covenant would drop just as much because of Halo's destruction as because of him leaving the Covenant. And since we know how much Halo was worth to them, we know Fol will have quite the impact."

"That's what I'm getting at, Chief. Things are in unrest over there. Fol has defected. Who knows who else wants to join up now?"

"And how will you arrange it for them? Just stand in front of them and yell 'Hey, don't shoot. We'll take you in'."

"Just pointing it out." Sam said.

"I know. But we have no means of actually communicating safely with those defectors. In fact, we don't even know if they are out there at all."

"Yeah, but what if-"

"Let Hood and the eggheads at ONI worry about that. Let's focus on the mission at hand."

Sam nodded, and they continued on. They saw quite a bit of battle damage here, and one Marine had even been pinned to the wall by an Energy Sword that was embedded too deep to be removed.

They were traveling across the station for another two minuets when they heard more weapons fire. Sam sprinted ahead, and John sprinted in order to catch up.

They ended up near the Starboard docking bay, where the In Amber Clad was docked. Johnson, commander Keyes and a group of twelve marines, all of them still in dress uniform, were exchanging fire with a group of Covenant, which consisted of a pair of Zealots, three majors, eight minors, and a trio of Jackals. John and Sam joined in on the fight.

Johnson looked up from his cover as the pair of Spartans approached. "Come on, Tough guys, this way!" he called, and he and his marines moved to join the Spartans in their advance.

The commander nodded at them, and joined them in their advance with her assault rifle. "I was almost on board when _they_ showed up."

"Don't worry, Commander. We're on it." Johnson reassured her, and fired at the closest Major to prove his point.

Sam and John took the lead of the charge, each taking on one of the Zealots. John fired at one continuously with his shotgun, all the way until it's shields died. He then grabbed it's hands, pulled at them, and disarmed it from it's energy swords. It tried to pull it's hands free, but John used the momentum to get closer, stabbing it in the head with his combat knife he'd grabbed a split second earlier.

Sam dealt with his Zealot much quicker. He just evaded it's attempts to hit him with it's needlers, grabbed the Kukri he'd gotten from Six, and stabbed it in the neck, near the throat. It fell down, choking on it's own blood. He pulled the knife out, and grabbed the Carbine from the Elite's back. He fired at the Majors, one of which had already been taken out by concentrated fire from the Marines. John joined him, firing twice at the other with his shotgun. He wanted to fire another time, but then the weapon clicked, empty. He dropped it, and grabbed his Battle Rifle. He aimed at the Major's head, and released three controlled bursts, all concentrated around the head. Each hit their mark, the first two dropping it's shields, and the third hitting it in the brains. It dropped dead on the spot.

The Minors and Jackals, deprived of their leadership, tried to decide what to do. When the door between them and the marines and Spartans shut. And the atmosphere drained from the compartment. John watched as they choked to death. Sam looked up at the nearest Camera. "Thanks, Cortana. Wouldn't know what to do without you."

"Be bored from your skull." she said. "Be advised, the first Carrier and Cruiser have broken through our lines, and each have split off, the Carrier headed for Africa, the Cruiser for the Arctic."

"What are they doing there?" Sam asked. "Looking for Penguins? They're on the other side of the planet."

"Unknown. But-" but then someone interrupted them on the com. "Chief, it's Fred. Huge Covenant party came my way, and they were carrying a bomb. Fire was too heavy, so I was forced to retreat."  
"I copy. Take Linda and Will, and arrange for Hood to get you to the Arctic. There's a cruiser there that needs taken care off. Sam and I will later deal with the Carrier over Africa."

"Why do you guys always get the good spots, and we only ice?"

"Because you're better at tolerating the ice than I am." Sam said. "Getting cold feet, Fred?"

"with all your explosions I'm surprised I'm not overcooked yet. Don't worry, we're on it." Fred signed off.

John immediately looked at the Commander. "Get to your ship, commander. Johnson, take your marines and join her." Keyes nodded. "I owe you guys one, Spartans. Thanks." John nodded his head in acknowledgement, and he and Sam headed for the nearest exit. "Cortana, guide us towards Fire-Control."

"It's just to your right, up the elevator." Cortana instructed. "Just so you know, there are quite a few Elites guarding the bomb. You guys may have to get more creative, rather than just blowing everything up. And that goes _double_ for you, Sam."  
"Me? Blowing stuff up? Perish the thought."  
"Sam, I taught you not to lie." John said, as they ran into the elevator. Cortana immediately closed the doors and sent them up the shaft.  
"How _dare_ you!" Sam said in an accusing tone. "I've never blown _anything_ up anything in my entire- oh, what the hell." he changed his tone to exasperation. "Yes, ok, I do blow stuff up."

" _There's_ a boy." John said with satisfaction. Then the elevator finally stopped. And Sam and John raised their rifles.

The doors opened halfway, just so one Spartan could go through with ease at a time. John got Cortana's hint, and took cover behind one of the doors. Sam did likewise.

As soon as they did, a lot of plasma fire hit the wall behind them. After a moment it stopped, and John glanced around the corner to look.

And immediately ducked his head back, as the Elites resumed their fire on their location. Sam looked at him. "Still no grenades?"

John shook his head. "We don't know how tough the casing of that bomb is. We just as well might do this the hard way."

Sam nodded. He then took aim around the corner, careful not to expose any of his body parts. He fired a short burst, before a lot of fire hit his rifle. He pulled it back. The rifle's barrel had melted from multiple hits. He grabbed all ammunition for the rife he had and tossed it to John. He then grabbed a plasma grenade, activated it, and stuck it to the rifle. He tossed it into the room, careful not to throw it too far.

To John's satisfaction, it's explosion was followed by the cries of multiple Elites. John risked another glance.

And grimaced. Inside were Eleven Zealots, led by a Field-Marshal. Only three of the Zealots were dead, and another was wounded. But the rest all were in cover, recovering from the explosion. The Field-Marshal was standing aside a large Covenant device, covered in Spikes in order to stabilize it. John ducked back into cover in order to prevent being shot at. Sam looked at him. "How many?" "Eight, Seven Zealots and a Field-Marshal. All covering the bomb."

Sam threw his head into his shoulders. "Great. Another Field-Marshal." Sam then turned his head to John. "If you're gonna try to get this one to defect, I'm gonna punch you in the face."

John did the gesture of a Spartan smile. "Don't worry. I'm not desperate enough to copy Six. The bomb looked quite sturdy, so a grenade or two won't hurt. Feel free to blow us all out of the sky."

Sam did the gesture himself. "Finally. The boom." Sam then grabbed four grenades, two frags and two plasma, and held them up. "Let's paint the walls black with ash."

"I don't think ash works that way."

Sam sighed. "Just go along with it."

John grabbed his own grenades, and threw two plasma grenades down the room. Sam did the same with his own plasma grenades, and did so to the other corners of the room. Once again, they heard howls of pain from the room. John grabbed his frags, as Sam threw his into the room. John primed his own and threw them as well. They heard more roars, and John even saw the shadow of one fly across the room. John got out of cover, and raised his rifle.

Only the Field-Marshal and two Zealots were still standing. The rest were killed, either ripped to shreds by the shrapnel of the Frag grenades or fried by the Plasma grenades. All corpses were centered near the door. They must have been trying to sneak up on them, attempting to ambush them in the elevator cage. Obviously, they were caught off-guard by the volley of grenades that were thrown into them. And even the two that were still standing were wounded, to the point that the Zealot's helmet was still burning, and the Field-Marshal stood with a limp.

John tackled the Field-Marshal, who was trying to reach for his Energy Sword. It flew out of his hand from the force of John's impact, and he fell to the ground. John fell with him, as he had nothing to steady himself with, and the Field-Marshal had fallen unexpectedly.

Once on the ground, John immediately tried to grab his combat knife. But the Elite kicked him off of it, and John went flying across the room. John felt a slight pain as something pointy hit his armor, but it stopped his flight, and he fell to the ground. As he got up, he saw the Field-Marshal was holding his leg in pain, although he was already standing. John used the opportunity, and grabbed one of his SMG's. He opened fire on the Field-Marshal, who tried to dive out of the way. But he was too slow, wounded by the grenades John and Sam had tossed into the room. It fell, clutching it's chest as two bullets pierced his armor.

Sam was keeping the Zealot occupied, so John turned to Cortana, who had appeared on a data pedestal. She answered his question before he could ask it. "Me, inside your head, now!" she said urgently. Her complied, and held his hand over the data pedestal.

He was thankful for the new Ai-Compatibility upgrade the Mark-VI armor had received. As long as John had an AI data-chip inside his helmet, he could use his armor as an interface for an AI, effectively allowing Cortana to get 'absorbed' into his armor by mere touch instead of removing the chip the entire time. The chip could still be removed, of course, but due to the upgrade it wasn't necessary.

Cortana transferred herself to his armor, and John made his way over to the bomb fast. He then held his hand over a console on it, which seemed to be the detonator. After a moment, the furious blinking of it stopped. He sagged his shoulders in relief. "How much time was left?"

"Let's just say Six would have made another comment about leaving the ship before destroying it." Cortana said. "Ten seconds. _Tops_."

John nodded. He then contacted Hood. "Sir, bomb disabled. Advise the other stations to secure the fire control centers."

"I copy, Chief. Sending word through now."

"Cairo, this is In Amber Clad." John heard Keyes report. "The second Carrier's shield is down, and it's past the ODP defensive screen. I'm in position and ready for immediate assault."

"Negative, commander." Hood said. "Not against a ship _that_ size. Not on your own."

"Sir" Sam said, as he approached, the Zealot behind him dead, bleeding in multiple places. "Permission for me and the Master Chief to leave the station."

"For what purpose, Petty Officer?" Hood asked.

"The Covenant forgot their bomb, sir. I'm planning on returning it."

As soon as he heard it, John nearly laughed out loud. Sam really was crazy.

Hood, however, didn't think so. "Permission granted."

John looked at Sam, and just shook his head. "I need to sue Six. She turned you crazy."

"Fortunately for us all." Cortana said. "We _like_ crazy."

Sam laughed. "Indeed. Come on. This bomb isn't gonna return to sender by itself."

John nodded, and he and Sam turned to the bomb.

"You're gonna lose." John heard in an odd tone from behind him. He turned.

The Field-marshal was still alive for the moment, and had dragged itself into a sitting position, leaning against a pillar. Sam raised his Battle Rifle, but John stopped him. He was interested in what this one had to say.

"And why is that?" he asked.

"You are sitting on a treasure without realizing it. You don't know what lies beneath your feet." it coughed up a bit of blood, and it sagged a bit. John knew it didn't have long. It still continued on, however. "The Great Journey will soon end, and I will be a god alongside the Hierarchs. The Ark will transcend us all, and you... will... be... left... be... hind." it trailed off, and finally sagged completely to the floor, dead.

Sam tilted his head. "The Ark? What the hell's all that about?"

"Something for later. Cortana, guide us to the nearest Longsword Launch bay."

she complied, and a waypoint appeared, back at the elevator. John and Sam once again turned to the bomb. They dragged it over there, and John turned to the buttons. A waypoint appeared over the lowest of buttons, and he pressed it. The Elevator started to descend rapidly. John turned to the bomb. He noted one of the Spikes stabilizing it was bent, and the shape of a Mjolnir backplate was imprinted into the side of the bomb.

 _So that's what I crashed into. Lucky me._

The elevator finally stopped, and he and Sam dragged it a bit into the launch bay. He could see the space battle beyond.

"Just one question:" Cortana asked, as Sam and John each took positions behind one of the pillars, and John grabbed the release for the cargo bay doors. "What if you two miss?"

John looked at the bomb. "We won't." he said calmly.

With that, he pulled the release, and the hanger doors opened. The atmosphere drained from the bay, and dust flew out into space. The bomb dragged a bit, it's spikes catching on the floor grating. But soon it flew out the hanger, and he and Sam jumped out, reaching for the spikes on the bomb. They caught on, and soon they were drifting across space, headed for the second Carrier.

They could only watch, and steer a bit here and there, as they drifted towards it. A Marathon-class Cruiser headed for the Carrier, opening up on it. The Carrier, in retaliation, fired at it with it's energy projector. The Marathon's armor breached, and small explosions swept across the entire ship. John could see the engines fail as he and Sam drifted past, and a few flickers of light as they attempted to relight themselves.

A pair of Longswords flew past, and John watched as they made a bombing run on it, hitting the area near the reactor dead-on. _Perfect_.

He and Sam drifted the bomb inside, and used the thrusters of their armor to stop their drift. John could see they were inside a huge reactor chamber. It seemed those Longswords weren't the only ones to hit it, as a rent was visible below them, showing the Earth down below. John reached over, and he held his hand again over the detonator. It started blinking again, and a whir sounded as it started up again. He flexed his legs, and he used the bomb to propel himself away from the carrier, making his way to Earth. Sam was right behind him.

Cortana briefly opened a small pop-up on his HUD, and he could see the carrier. Behind him, the bomb went off, and as he and Sam sped away, small explosions tore across the hull, before it went up in one single explosion. _Sam will likely ask if we can do that again_.

"Wheee. Can we do that again?" Sam asked.

" _You_ can. _I_ won't. I like to keep my eyebrows, for one."

Sam laughed. "Suit yourself."

Then a Stalwart-class Frigate sped into their way, and matched their trajectory. On the side, John could just read the words In Amber Clad printed on the hull.

They hit the hull near the bridge, making slight bumps into it as they did. John engaged his magnetic boots, and Sam was already standing.

"For a pair of bricks... you guys flew pretty good!" Johnson said excitedly over the com.

"Spartans, get inside and gear up." Commander Keyes said. "We're taking this fight to the surface."

John nodded, and made his way to the nearest Airlock, Sam right behind him. This was gonna be a long day.

* * *

ONI Prowler, call sign 'Hidden Veil', unknown star system (En-route to Sang'katarn)

Fol made his way to the Hidden Veil's hanger, where he knew Six to be. He looked up at the Bulkhead. "Void, What's the ETA on Sang'Katarn?"

"Three days." Void said, his voice monotone and boring as usual. Fol nodded. "Thank you. Call me if anything changes."

"Of course, Field-Marshal." it said. In the two weeks they had been traveling, Fol hadn't encountered Void's avatar once. When asked about it, Void had answered that he cared more for efficiency than appearance, and that it didn't want an avatar, as it was more for a human's comfort anyway. Fol had heard that the AI Black Box had a similar philosophy on it's appearance, but Fol had seen it once, and Black Box had at least adopted the avatar of a box, true to his name. But Void's reluctance to show an Avatar was astonishing.

He entered the hanger, where Six was busy modifying the Pelican they would use as a shuttle if they weren't permitted to land on the surface. Fol made his way down there, and knocked on the wing Six lay under. He could see she had rewired a lot of it's circuitry. Six held out a hand. "Give me a minute. I'm about to finish it up anyway."

Fol nodded, and leaned against the hull while he waited. Six finished putting the wires back in, and pulled herself out from under the pelican. Her helmet looked at Fol as she got up.

During their entire stay, Six hadn't removed her armor in his presence once, and always ate separately. Fol wondered for a moment if she slept in it. He had heard from the other Spartans that she did it because ONI wanted her identity hidden. Fol couldn't figure out why, but he didn't mind. He didn't mind it that much anyway.

"I want to brief you fully on Sang'Katarn, just so you know what you are getting yourself into."

Six nodded. "I expected as much. Shall we walk why we do so? I could use the exercise."

Fol nodded, and he made his way to one of the Ship's main corridors. Due to the nature of their mission, Fol and Six had the prowler all to themselves, with only void for company. Being cooped up together had done them well, and Fol found with each passing day he could talk to her easier, as long as he didn't pry about her past. Fol composed his words for a moment. "You remember the basic history of the planet, Right. As Cortana told it on Halo?"

Six nodded. "Yes. Originally a Covenant Prison planet, it was taken over by your ancestor, Thel Katarn, after he was banished from High-Charity for his Atheist beliefs. After Thel's followers renamed it Sang'Katarn, your ancestors took control of the planet, and repelled five invasions from the San'Shyuum. After that there was a reluctant cease-fire. Around our year of 1900, give or take a decade, your people sent their warrior-cadets to Covenant academies, trying to make the cease-fire more permanent. Your cadets ended up being better than the instructors, and your people are seen as the Covenant's best ever since. You gained your reputation because of it."

Fol nodded, impressed. "I didn't realize you have read the report."

"I didn't." Six said. "I have a perfect memory. I can recall my parents' faces, even though they have been dead for over nearly two decades and no pictures of them were recovered. I can remember every scream and death I see and hear."

Fol looked at her. "Doesn't it give you nightmares? Seeing the faces of all those dead people in your sleep?"

Six shrugged. "Sometimes. But I tend to get over it. But you were briefing me on your birth-planet."

Fol nodded, recognizing an attempt to change the topic when he heard it. "It has been for years that we have peace between the Covenant and Sang'Katarn. But in reality, we're trying to split up. Our creeds of life simply differ too much. The sending of our cadets was in reality a form of sending scouts, determining how far we were ahead or behind them in terms of technology."

he paused. "We ended up lagging far behind the Covenant military, to the point that we had only a few outdated cruisers where they had armadas of hundreds of ships. They turned out to only be holding back because of our reputation."

they were getting near the mess-hall. Fol paused to grab some water for the two of them. "Naturally, we began our own arms race, in order to catch up. And we broke the mantra ONI correctly guessed that lay over the Covenant." Six looked up. "What mantra?"

"This: 'The Covenant is imitative, not innovative'. They are powerful, yes. But they never dared upgrade their tech beyond the level the Forerunners once had. Sacrilege, the San'Shyuum claimed."

Six nodded. "Like the pope saying a gun's forbidden because Jesus never used one, not that he ever said that. And you continued on developing anyway."

Fol took a sip of the water. "Yes. And while we are still outnumbered in terms of numbers, in technology we surpassed them about two centuries ago. We have more powerful Energy Swords that nearly never drain. We have Plasma rifles that kill with a single shot, even if while the target is behind cover. Our energy shields can withstand a hurricane, and survive an inferno for hours before draining. Our ships could breach a Super-Carrier's shields in a heartbeat, tear through it's hull, and never draining even a single percent of it's batteries. Do I need to supply more examples?"

Six shook her head. "No. But why have we never encountered that tech before?"

Fol grinned. "You'd think we'd risk the Covenant getting their hands on that kind of tech? Risk them taking away one of our advantages?"

Six looked at him, tilting her head. "No. As much as I'd like to think so, unlike what your name says, you are not fools. But still you shared your shield-technology with us. Why?"

Fol looked ahead. "Consider it a gift. One symbolizing a possible future alliance between our governments."

Six nodded. "Fair enough. So, you discovered you were outgunned, and you now outgun them. What else?"

Fol thought for a second. "Government next. We are led by a Council, and while up to Three hundred visitors are allowed, only a hundred are actually councilors and able to vote. The other two hundred are merely a way of ensuring the people are always informed. The councilors are all, after a minimum of three per species to avoid underrepresentation, all divided so that the amount of members per species is in percentage the same as their amount of members in the total population. Following so far?" Six nodded.

"We are led militarily by a council of three: A Battlemaster, Who leads our armies into battle. A Commander of the Fleet, who commands all our ships and leads them into victory. And last but not least, a Knowledge Commander, who is our analogue to your CINCONI."

"The head of your intelligence division?" Six asked. Fol nodded. "Yes. The most recent one, A former Unggoy deacon named Ghanak, has taken a backseat for the majority of the war, and has let our battlemaster and Commander of the Fleet lead our people in this war." Fol briefly thought back to his brother and sister, Kal and Nera Katarn. Kal had six months ago been promoted to the rank of Battlemaster, before he was asked by shipmaster Rahgath to join him on a short journey. Kal, still a bit new to his position, had accepted. He had, however, been out of contact ever since.

"Something on your mind?" Six asked, and Fol looked back at her.

"Just thinking about my siblings. Nera Katarn and Kal Katarn. My sister and brother."

Six nodded. "I had a sister once. But the battle of Jericho VII took her from me." Fol thought he misheard it, but he swore he could mutter her "I miss you, Ilsa Zane."

Fol continued on, changing the subject for her. "You would like to know that my brother, Kal, has been promoted to the rank of Battlemaster six months ago."

Six looked up. "Really. Your brother has been promoted earlier than you?"

"I spent too much time in the field to be commanding our armies. I do have command experience, but my dedication to being in the field prevents me from taking more command. And my brother was always the one people could rally behind anyway."

Six mulled that over. "Could you elaborate on that?"

Fol nodded. "Basically a taller version of me. He's skilled, fast, strong, and charismatic. He could convince a human to lay down his weapons with his speeches." Fol paused. "Also, due to a genetic mutation, he is the tallest Elite on record. A head taller than me, even."

Six briefly looked over Fol's head, before looking at Fol. "I would like to duel with him once. Might be fun to watch."

Fol laughed. "I'm sure. Anyway, the last of the three, the Commander of the Fleet, was Ka'gran Osan. A very skilled Shipmaster, and I dare say even a match for your infamous Admiral Cole. He recently died in battle, however, and last I heard his successor hadn't been chosen." Fol briefly thought of the Commander. "My sister, Nera, was his apprentice. His chosen protege. She would best everyone who opposed her in ship-to-ship combat. But she hasn't got a lot of true experience in the field, and her results are mostly from simulators. But I have faith in her."

Six nodded. "And these three lead the entire planet?"

"No." Fol said. "That would be Reghok Katarn. My Father."

"Really?"

"Yes. He leads the civilian population, and makes most of the decisions in the end. The councilors, while powerful and in command of things like food and important materials like Nanolaminate platings, are second to him. He has a Veto if the Council votes for something he doesn't want. The Council can only hope to convince him they're right in such a case."

"Sounds like a semi-democracy, semi-dictatorship." Six noted.

Fol thought it over. She had a point. "Yes, but unlike the UEG, we don't hide it."

Six laughed. "True. But anything else about the government I should know?"

Fol thought for a moment. "One thing: Address the members of the Council and military of which you know it by rank. It is a law for outsiders, so make note of it."

Six nodded. "Noted. What's next?"

"The Planet itself." Fol said immediately. "The surface mostly consists of scorching deserts and barren wastelands, so it's not the prettiest of sights to see. The surface frequently suffers from major sandstorms and temperatures of about 50 degrees Celsius, so you don't want to visit there. The majority of settlements, safe for a domed capital and a couple of ruins, are all located underground in tunnels and hollows. Most of our major cities are located in hollowed-out mountains, with our fleet, if needed for refit, located inside a few sinkholes. The remainder of our population who dislike living in large towns live in their own tunnels, branching off from the main center, or on small settlements on the surface, in homes partially embedded underground, with a dozen tunnels that lead underground, inevitably to one of the cities."

Six consulted her datapad for a second. "And the only exception is your capital, Kortan-Sho."

Fol nodded. "For moral purposes, we constructed our Capital inside a domed city. The Government, called the Clan by our people, is seated there as well."

"Any other major things worthy of note?"

Fol grimaced. "The Planet's full of Forerunner ruins. They constructed the first tunnels here, and my people have expanded onto them. Now they're mostly museum pieces and exhibitions. There are a few things that stand out: The City of Tah."

"From your tone I can tell it's something special."

"Indeed. It's a forerunner city. Or the remains of one anyway."

At this, Six perked up a lot more. "Of the same beings that build Halo?"

"Yes. It consisted mostly of living quarters and the like: anything you would find in a Sangheili or Human city. However, there were two buildings that stood out. One was a fully translated archive. The other seemingly a Library."

Six took on a confused stance. "I have a few questions. One: why an Archive? According to Void, they stored all of their information on a galaxy-spanning network called the Domain. He got that from _you_."

Fol nodded. "I never learned why it was placed. The majority of my people assume, however, that the Forerunners placed it as a backup, in case they ever lost access to the Domain, so they still all had their knowledge intact."

Six nodded. "Seems logical, as an insurance. But here's another: how have you never learned the true purpose of Halo from it?"

"Because of two reasons: The Forerunners wrote in riddles, because of which we still don't understand all of it. And we still haven't translated everything."

"Alright. Final question: what did you mean a Library? You already mentioned the Archive."

Fol took on a very serious look. "Not that kind of Library. Like a _Halo_ Library."

Six froze. "You mean one where we found an activation index?"

"Yes. It's called the T-shaped key by my people, who don't know it's true purpose, but given what we experienced on Halo it can't be anything else."

Six stood still for one more moment, before looking at Fol. "You should inform your people."

"Was already planning to do so. But thank you for confirming it."

Six nodded. "After that bombshell, what's next?"

"Our creed. Our way of life." Fol said. "It's a warrior's paradise. You're allowed to carry weapons everywhere except the Sang'Katarn Archive, which is where we keep the so far translated data of the Forerunners, and the ruins. You can be challenged to a duel by anyone, even the Kaidon, if he considers you worthy. In turn, you can challenge everyone. It's not so much as a matter of honor as a way of saying 'I like you'."

"I like you?"

"As in forming friendships. A way of greeting a stranger. It's not necessary, but it is one often done as a way of passing the time."

Six swept her fingers past her energy swords, which she'd kept since the Gettysburg, or Halo even if she didn't swap them out often enough. "That will be fun."

Fol laughed. "Indeed, as it's customary for people to challenge outsiders and newcomers."

"Oh, good. More people to defeat." Six glanced at Fol for a moment. "It's forbidden to kill, right?"

"Yes. While accidents can happen, if you intentionally do so... let's just say you're lucky if you're merely outnumbered a _hundred-_ to-one in a fight."

Six laughed in turn. "I always liked a challenge."

Fol nodded. "Thel Vadam and I have the scars to prove that. But anyways, bloodlines don't matter that much. We judge by capability rather than lineage. Our curses and insults tend to be more in the direction of low intelligence, being a traitor, full of a sense of authority or bad hygiene, rather than having different sexual orientation, parentage or genetical diseases and such."

"Impressive. We only stopped with using the latter groups as insults only about a century ago." Six said.

"And we are also generally very accepting of new beings on Sang'Katarn, with only the San'Shyuum being the exception. And that's because of the lingering feelings about the invasions. The rest of the species bunch are accepted. The merchants of the Yonhet, the Yanme'e of Palamok, any being is accepted into our ranks if skilled enough. Which is more tolerant than High-Charity would like."

"I'll bet." Six said. "What about the San'Shyuum? They aren't the species fit for physical exertion."

"They have more trouble, of course, both to actually be accepted, and to fit in. But still, a few are accepted."

Six nodded. "Quite the encyclopedia-like knowledge you have."

"That's because I have traveled across my world often. But here's another thing: Gender is nearly meaningless among us, unlike in the Covenant. Females have just as many chances as males. And martial skill is more important than beauty. In fact, if you use the word delicate to describe a person anywhere, you are bound to start a fight."

"Sounds like my kind of people." Six said, and Fol thought she sounded enthusiastic even.

"Yes." Fol said absentmindedly. "I thought Spartans would like that." he returned his speech of his people to Six. "Anyway, Warriors are trained and raised from a very young age, and everyone is able to defend themselves." he paused. "That's it, really. There are the matters of how common adoption is, or how our warrior acceptance ceremonies for the young-adults, but nothing more that's relevant to you."

Six nodded. "Well, the information is useful." Six said. "Your way of telling it sucks, but it is interesting and useful none the less."

Fol stopped. "What do you mean 'my way of telling it' sucks?"

Six stopped as well, and looked him in the eye. "After the planet and Creed, you didn't have a concrete line at which you told things. You just blurted it out as it came to your mind. As useful as your information is, that's boring."

"I didn't tell it to entertain you, merely so you don't take things the wrong way." Fol retorted. He was getting agitated with her mood. "Otherwise you could have your head put on a pike."

"And you know I would take a lot of your people with me." Six said. "I didn't think you couldn't take a bit of criticism. Sorry."

Fol wanted to say something back at her, but she was right: she had offered her advice about what was wrong with the way he told things, and he had immediately snapped at her. It was wrong, and useless to continue it.

"I'm sorry." he finally said. "You're right. I'm not used to summarizing everything there is to know about my people in merely one conversation."

Six looked for a second, and Fol wasn't sure whether she would accept his apology or cut his head off.

But then she inclined her head. "Apology accepted. Now, we're approaching the Cargo bay anyway, up for a fight? It's been a month, and you don't have enough scars yet to claim you know me."

Fol, catching her joke, just shook his head. "You'd just lose to my superior skill."

"Oh, please. You haven't won a single match against me." Six said, as she entered the bay. She put her metal cup down on a crate.

This cargo bay, close to the hanger they had left minutes ago, was repurposed by Fol into a sparring room similar to the one he had built on the Gettysburg. He hadn't had the opportunity to challenge Six to a duel yet. It now looked like Six had beaten him to it.

"You're on." he said, as he entered. "Usual rules as back then?"

Six nodded. "All things allowed except dismemberment, stop when the opponent surrenders, is unconscious, left the designated area or dead."

Fol nodded. "Then may the best Sangheili win."

Six tilted her head, as she grabbed both of her Energy Swords. "In that case, the duel won't take place, as the best Sangheili on board will be defeated. By me."

"We'll see." Fol said, as he activated his own Energy Swords. "We'll see."

* * *

Void watched as they dueled. He watched because of many reasons. Curiosity, envy, interest. He didn't know why he was interested. There wasn't going to happen anything that involved him. He was a mere AI. A Glorified Computer program. Granted, there was a lot of money spent because of him, and his donor had died so he could be created from his brain, but Void was a Computer program none the less. If there were enough donors he could be mass-produced. There would be many more of him. So he was nothing special.

And yet, as he watched Spartan B312 and Fol Katarn duel, he couldn't help but feel special at being the sole witness of it, even if they had momentarily forgotten about him. He couldn't help it, but he felt that the duel meant something to them.

He watched as they fought, not saying a single word. As the Spartan had predicted, it never ended in a definite victory for Fol. It ended either in a victory for B312 or in a draw, with both combatants losing their weaponry. Even then, the former Noble Six managed to get a victory, as both combatants either drew a combat knife or activated an Energy Cutlass built inside their gauntlet, as Fol did.

Void reflected his donor for a second, which was an eternity for him. Alex Mercer. Paranoid ONI Scientist involved in ONI's bioweapons division, for as long as it had existed. He had died at quite a young age, 33 years old to be precise. In his paranoia, he had grabbed valuable ONI data, and attempted to publish it back on Earth. ONI caught him before he did, and had locked him up. His escape had made ONI realize, however, that they had no business in making Bioweapons like viruses, and they had shut the department down and erased all data of it's existence, including his copy back at the Sovereign Colonies. They had subsequently executed all witnesses, including Mercer. But ONI realized was too valuable to waste a mind on, and they had used his brain to create an AI. Him. Void.

Void, upon learning the truth about his creator upon his creation three weeks ago, had shut down all of his personality and emotional processors in order to deal with the fact his donor had built Bioweapons. But over the weeks, they had slowly reactivated, in order for him to adept faster to unknown or unprecedented situations. He initially didn't like it, but as he learned more and more about how humans dealt with it he had grown... interested. Just like with the duel between B312 and Katarn.

He made up his mind in that same split second. As soon as they'd land on the planet, he would ask B312 that she'd take him with her. Under the usual guise of gathering intel, of course. He had a reputation to uphold among his colleagues. But he admitted to himself, after hearing Fol talk about his own world like that, he wanted to see it too.

Maybe there would even be other AI there.

 _He would just have to wait and see._

* * *

 **Here ends the first chapter, the first report, of what really happened during the Great Schism. Never assume you know the whole truth, for it might come back to point out your ignorance. I am aware Legion Archivists rushed through the final part describing Sang'Katarn culture, so I apologize on their part. I hope you enjoy, and please, review it so I can point the request for improvement out to Archivists.**

 **Gharst Omenlumin**


	2. Chapter 2

**The next steps to the Great Schism are set, and Soon everything will become clear.**

 **This Chapter has a personal record of over 18.000 words, so I feel quite proud.**

 **Disclaimer: Halo is owned by 343 Industries, and I do not intend to make a profit from these stories. the Character listed below are taken from Halo Machinima Rise of the Spartans, which I forgot to mention in the previous chapter: Ooskoo Rotam, Rahgath Rotam, Randy, Kalos Ossal'ee, Thel Sel'Gath (Just Thel in said machinima, I couldn't find out his surname), Praetor Rotam and Ackillian Rotam. T'kan, while appearing in Rise of the Spartans, I took more from the machinima Elites of War. I own none of said characters. the Katarns and Kronos are my own OC's.**

 **Now, to the Story**

* * *

Halo 2: Great Schism

Chapter 2

* * *

Mombasa Airspace, Kenya, East-Africa, Earth

Sam just looked out the back of the open Pelican as he loaded his Assault Rifle and Shotgun. He and John had moved to board a pelican the moment they learned that the Carrier, called the Solemn Penance on intercepted communications channels, was holding position over Africa, deploying ground forces. The Cruiser that had headed for the Arctic, the Bloodied Spirit, was merely hovering there in place, seemingly looking for something. Keyes suspected the Carrier was also looking for something, and so he and John were going to intercept it.

He briefly glanced over at Wilson, who sat beside him on the pelican. Wilson had already prepared his weapons before he even boarded the dropship. He was in full armor as well, instead of his Dress uniform. And, as usual, he wore his knuckle dusters on his fists, and chains hung from his uniform. Sam always wondered why he wore those chains, as they could easily get caught on something. At least Wilson now had the sense to use them for something, as now grenades hung from it. Wilson also kept looking out the window of the rear door. Sam nudged him, and he looked up.

"Something on your mind?" Sam asked.

Wilson nodded. "Out of all the places on Earth, they chose the town where I sent my daughter to live."

Sam nodded. Lena was one of the survivors from Reach, and was Richard Wilson's daughter. Sam had seen her quite a few times on the Gettysburg, and she seemed smart, resourceful, mentally strong and, to Sam's surprise, awfully convincing. He imagined she would make a fine Spartan if she ever grew up.

"Don't worry. She's tough, and she got enough smarts from you to stay out of harm's way."

"It's either that" Wilson answered "Or she goes all crazy on them, thinking she can take them all on. I've certainly tried that before."

"I can attest to that." Sam said, and both men laughed.

Sam wanted to say more, but Cortana brought them back to the situation at hand.

"I've intercepted an encrypted Covenant communique. But it just repeats. 'Regret. Regret. Regret.'"

"Catchy." Commander Keyes said from the cockpit of the leading pelican. "Any idea what it means?"

"'Dear Humanity:" Johnson started, like he was quoting a saying. Sam prepared for the obvious joke the Sergeant would make. "We regret being Alien bastards. We regret coming to Earth. And we most definitely regret the Corps just blew up our raggedy ass fleet!"

"Oo-Rah" the pilots called, along with most of the marines. Sam chuckled.

"Regret's a name, Sergeant." Cortana corrected. "The name of one of the Covenant's religious leaders: A Prophet."

Sam briefly mulled that over. If one of their religious leaders was here, then they thought Earth must be pretty important, in order to risk one of their leaders on it. But why use such a small fleet?

"He's on that Carrier." Cortana continued. "And he's calling for help."

"Immediate: Grid Kilo two-three is hot." Marine scouts reported over the com. "Recommend mission abort."

"Affirmative." The pilot said. "It's your call, Sarge."

"We're going in." Johnson immediately said. "Get tactical, marines!"

as one, the marines all prepared, which Sam, John and Wilson had already done. People started grabbing their weapons and gathering spare ammo clips. One even had to put on his helmet.

"Spartans, your mission is to get aboard that Carrier, and secure the Prophet of Regret." Hood ordered, still on Cairo Station overseeing the planet's defense in orbit. "This is the only place the Covenant have actually deployed Ground forces. That Prophet is going to tell us why."

John nodded. "We'll get it done, Sir. 117 out."

Sam decided to move towards the cockpit, wanting to survey the area they were going to land in.

It all seemed clear. Why would the mari-

He saw it a split second before the pilots. It rounded the corner of the skyscraper about a kilometer away from them. It was large, had a single head, four large legs, the shape of a shopping cart, and had two cannons affixed to it's back. It was nearly fifty meters tall.

A Protos-type Scarab.

"Watch out!" he called over to the Crew bay, where John and the Marines and ODST's sat. "Protos Scarab!"

John immediately got up, and Sam tried to turn back to the Scarab.

When it fired all of it's forward cannons, and the Pilots swerved heavily trying to avoid it's deadly beam.

But it still hit, and the Pelican started to list, before crashing into a small neighborhood in Old Mombasa. Sam was flung across the cockpit, before landing in the crew bay against the hatch.

As soon as he stopped moving and lay still, he tried to clear his head. He began by calming his breath. Soon, he was calm, and the world came into focus again. He got up, and he made a check of everything.

Gear: armor's still intact, as are weapons, ammo and grenades. Marines: no major injuries, and all accounted for. Immediate surroundings: No major threats like Elites. Pelican: so busted up Six could have flown it. Teammates: Johnson was getting up and helping get the marines moving. Wilson was gathering all of their explosives, and distributing it equally among the ranks. And John...

Sam moved back into the dropship. John lay there, leaning against the hull. He seemed unconscious. Sam knocked on his helmet. "Hey. Here's a joke: Knock Knock."

"It's open." John said groggily, as he finally woke up and tried to stand. As usual, John managed to ruin Sam's 'knock knock jokes'. It was why he had stopped telling them with John around years ago. Sam gave him a helping hand, and he took it. They both got out of the dropship, and joined Johnson and the marines in securing the area.

"Cortana, what's the situation?" the Chief asked over the com.

"Two of our three pelicans are down." Cortana started. "Only Commander Keyes' pelican is still airborne. I can't reach Sergeant Stacker on the Com, but that could be from Covenant interference. We landed in the old city center, on the mainland. The Carrier is holding position over the island, the new city part called New Mombasa. Be advised, that Scarab seems to be patrolling the only available routed to it."

"Can't In Amber Clad just bombard it with a MAC round?" Sam asked. "We'll get quite the boom."

"Not the entirety of the civilian population has been evacuated." Commander Keyes cut in. "We'd cause too many casualties. Besides, I thought Spartans liked doing things the hard way."

"We do." John said. "But this one just has a taste for large explosions."

"Don't worry: As soon as we have it, you can keep the Scarab."

Sam rose his fist triumphantly in the air, but didn't say anything. John shook his head, amused at Sam's feeling of victory at getting to drive a Scarab.

The group of four marines, three ODST's and two Spartans made it to an old, burned-out building. The area in front of it seemed like a large courtyard, and Johnson sent everyone in. "Settle down, Marines. This is going to be our new home until reinforcements arrive."

"Hoo-Rah!" Wilson and the others called, as they moved into the building.

Sam was about to do so as well, when he spotted something on the rooftop.

A pair of Jackal Snipers, starting to take aim at Johnson and his marines.

Sam's Assault Rifle was too inaccurate to deal with them, so he swung it onto the magnetic straps on his back, and grabbed his rocket launcher. He fired one at the pair, and was satisfied to see the part of the roof they were on explode into bits and pieces. A Beam Rifle skidded to a stop in front of him. Sam grabbed it, and fired at a third that he spotted on the adjacent roof. The Jackal fell from the roof, a new hole in it's head where there hadn't been one a few seconds before.

He then joined the marines on the rooftop, helping them set up shop in the building. From the burned out cars and large open space on the first floor, Sam surmised that this used to be a parking garage before it had been taken. He took cover behind an old truck, and aimed down the alley with the beam rifle. He hit three Jackals, two minors and one major, before he was forced to duck back due to the amount of fire headed his way. Sam took a look at how much charge the rifle had left. Enough for three more shots. _Great_.

Sam took aim around the other side of the truck, and downed the shields of an Elite Major. He hit it in the head with the third shot, and was satisfied that it fell down on the ground. Sam dropped the Beam Rifle, and once more grabbed his rocket launcher. He fired at a group of twelve Grunts that came down the street, and hit it dead on. What he didn't expect was that the abandoned fuel truck about fifteen meters away would also explode from the heat. The explosion thundered across the neighborhood.

"If they didn't know we were here before" Johnson said sarcastically "They do now."

"Johnson, shut up and keep shooting." Wilson said, as he fired a burst from his Battle Rifle at an approaching swarm of Drones. "You might actually hit something."

"I have more kills than you, you son of a bitch." Johnson said. "So bring it."

"It's a deal." the pair then moved to take up overlapping fields of fire, in the hope of stealing each other's kills.

Sam fired at a pair of Zealots that came at them from the wreck of the Pelican, and was satisfied that they went up in smoke. From the smoke, one of their helmets came skidding towards them.

Sam switched his Rocket Launcher out for his Assault rifle in order to conserve his ammunitions. He sprayed his ammo across a massive amounts of Grunts charging from the other end of the street. But there were so many of them that his fire was having no effect. He threw a grenade at them in order to slow them down, and saw that a dozen of them flew away as it exploded.

But dozens took there place.

Sam was about to call out for aid, when a pair of Hornets flew over them, and slaughtered the Covenant assaulting their position. Johnson, Wilson and the others moved up in order to assist, and Sam saw John do the same.

After they were all cleared, a Pelican flew into view. Sam noticed from a glance that Commander Keyes was flying it.

"The Courtyard's to small for this bird, People. There is a courtyard on the other side of these buildings that fits, though. Make your way there, and I'll drop off reinforcements there."

Johnson nodded. "Understood, ma'am. We'll head there." He then turned to Wilson. "Place a Satchel on those gates. We'll cut across that alleyway, and make our way to the commander's LZ."

"Yes, Sir." Wilson said, making his way to the gates.

And immediately jumped back, as the wooden gates were split down the middle. Sam saw a Hunter's shield embedded in it, and saw the shield pull back out, only to appear again as it was used as a ram. This time, the Gates fell, and two Hunters appeared in the Courtyard.

Sam and John stepped forward, both having their weapons raised. Johnson immediately understood their intentions, and stepped back. "Step back, boys. Let the Spartans show you how it's done!"

The Marines and ODST's stepped back into the garage, and Sam and John each headed for a Hunter. John, Sam saw, was going for the Flanking technique: letting the Hunter attack with it's shield, only to circle around it as it brought it down, and attack it in the exposed back.

Sam, however, was going for a more... _gruesome_ attack. One he had done only twice before to Hunters.

He charged it, and as soon as it got in range, Sam jumped forward, too far within it's range to attack comfortably with the cannon. It tried to attack him with it's shield, raising it high. Sam grabbed it's waist and chest, and lifted it up. As he lifted it up, he turned to the marines. "Better record it now, for your buddies will never believe you."

Wilson immediately got the hint, and turned his visor to Sam. Johnson and one other marine got the hint as well, and they turned their helmets the right way as well, though Johnson got out an old-fashioned camera.

Sam, satisfied there was enough footage, replicated his feat from the Truth and Reconciliation and Sigma Octanus. He pulled it apart, with all of his strength.

The Eels fell from both pieces, and Sam saw a lot of them were bleeding, and their blood gushed onto Sam's armor. Sam dropped the two pieces of dead Eels and Heavy armor, and turned to the other Hunter.

John was firing at it's exposed back with a Shotgun, and it roared in pain. It stopped, however, when it spotted what had become of it's bond brother. It froze for a second, and roared in anger. John used said opportunity to stick it with a plasma grenade at the back, and fired at it with his Shotgun. It fell, as the Grenade exploded, and too many eels fell from it to stay alive. The victorious Spartans turned to the marines.

And, safe for Johnson, all had their mouths hanging open in shock. Johnson just stood there with a large smile, and he had lighted a cigar. Sam made a bow towards them, as a joke.

Wilson, however, decided to take it seriously, and started to clap. Soon, the entire squad was applauding them.

John, however, stepped away. "It's something to show your grandchildren. Now if you excuse me, We've got to meet the commander."

the marines, understanding the order, all made their way over to the gate, and headed over the garden, towards Keyes' waiting pelican.

"Johnson, Spartan 034, I need the two of you on that bird."

"Ma'am?" Johnson asked.

"My Pelicans are going to start airlifting armor and reinforcements into the city. They'll need an escort that isn't afraid of a little hostile ground fire. As for 034, Hood wants him to go ahead and secure New Mombasa. Chief will do the same after picking up the second squad."

Sam nodded, and moved over to board the pelican. "Understood. John: Good luck."

John chuckled, and made a Spartan Smile. "We make our own luck, remember?"

"Point. Well, shoot straight."

Wilson just looked between the two of them, and tilted his head. "You two nut-bags are scaring the shit out of me, you know that?"

John nodded. "Part of the job description. Let's keep moving."

Wilson nodded, and he, John and the remainder of the marines headed down the next alleyway.

Sam looked out over the island, as Keyes ferried him and Johnson over the island. After a moment it stopped, hovering over the beach over the island. Sam jumped out, as he listened to the Com.

"Second squad, this is Cortana. What is your status, over?"

"We're operational, ma'am. Barely. Our pilots didn't make it."

"Find a hole. Stay put. We'll come to you."

Sam looked briefly back at the Pelican, as it flew away towards In Amber Clad, getting more supplies. Sam raised his Assault Rifle, ready for whatever was in New Mombasa.

* * *

ONI Prowler, Call Sign 'Hidden Veil', Edge of Sang'Katarn Star System

Six sat back in the Captain's chair, as she looked out at the blackness of Slipspace.

They were approaching Sang'Katarn space, and were about to exit in five minutes. She looked at Fol, who stood ready at the Communication's console in order to transmit the right clearance codes. "So. What welcome can an ONI prowler expect?"

"The same as any UNSC ship: Unless it transmits the right clearance codes in five seconds, it is shot down, and the ship pulled into the planet's atmosphere. The survivors are left to explore the wastelands of the surface, and security prevents them from properly stealing any ship. It has happened before."

Six looked over, a sickening feeling forming in her stomach. _Had any UNSC ships been foolish enough to enter this systems's territory?_

"Who? And when?" she asked.  
"About a year ago." Fol answered. "An ONI Prowler followed one of our ships home after the battle of Meridian. It was shot down before it could jump back into slipspace. It crashed near the ruins of Tah." He paused. "Are you familiar with Spartan Gray Team?"

Six nodded. "Unruly during their training, they were very unruly and individualistic. They attempted to escape often, despite having nothing to return to. After the Augmentations we got, they were deployed as a team due to their... _unique_ skill set. They are often deployed behind Covenant lines, and disrupt things for them. We haven't received word from them for about a year, if I read the right reports about them."

Fol hesitated, and she got up. "You know what happened to them. Don't you?"

Fol nodded. "They were on that Prowler. They survived, and have taken residence in the ruins. But they haven't been able to get off the planet, and refuse to talk with us."

Six nodded. "If they discovered a planet filled with Elites, Brutes and the like they would assume they are hostile. The rest of the species are."

Fol nodded. "I admit I was nervous about your reaction about this. I'm glad you're taking it this well."

Six briefly glanced to the blackness of space, before looking at Fol again. "Any other UNSC assets here I need to know about?"

"Just one." Fol said. "During the war, we managed to capture a Marathon-class Heavy Cruiser."

she reeled back in response. _The Navy had been stupid enough to let a Marathon slip through their fingers? Were they mad?_

"When did this happen?" Six asked.

"The battle of New Constantinople." Fol answered. "A single Marathon failed to jump in time, and we of Sang'Katarn decided to test our new interdiction technology."

"Interdiction Technology?"

"The Ability to prevent ships from jumping into Slipspace. The experiment was a failure, as it merely delays it, but it suited our purposes. Anyway, we managed to board the Marathon, and I personally cleared the ship. The AI had deleted itself and the navigational core, so to the Mainstream Covenant it was useless, but we managed to procure it after the San'Shyuum had it carted off to be scrapped."

"Didn't they realize the value of that ship? How many systems they could infiltrate?" Six asked.

"You overestimate the wisdom of the San'Shyuum. They assumed it was worthless because it held no data. We managed to... Steal it is the right way to put it. We've brought it up to date with our own technology since then."

Six nodded. "What's it called?"

"The UNSC Great Lance."

That ship had been missing for over two decades. ONI had assumed the crew had defected and joined the Insurrection. Clearly, ONI had been mistaken. And not for the first time. From what Fol had told her, he had lobbied ever since they had come back from the Gettysburg that he and a Spartan should be sent to convince Sang'Katarn. Clearly, after a month ONI had grown tired of his whining, and given in.

"A ship missing in action, only to turn up on UNSC space after the negotiations succeed. That will be interesting." she finally said.

"If they succeed at all." Fol said. "My father means well, but he can be as stubborn as you or ONI."

Six nodded. "So I have to bully my way to the top in order to be heard?"

"yes"

"Oh good."

"Exiting Slipspace in 15 seconds. Prepare, Fol." Void called over the intercom. Fol nodded, and went to the Com console.

"Three." Void said after a moment of silence. "Two. One. And we exit now."

indeed, the blackness disappeared. In it's place came the orange planet Six had imagined upon hearing it consisted mostly of deserts. She could also see the large, circular stations in orbit of the planet: large spines, from which eight bars came out, and connected to a circle around the station. It reminded Six of a wheel.

But what really drew her attention was the amount of ships in the immediate area. There were hundreds of ships of every class imaginable. Corvette's, Cruisers, BattleCruisers, Destroyers, Carriers, SuperCarriers... Six saw every class of Covenant ship she knew of, and dozens she didn't. _This must be the entire Sang'Katarn fleet._ She realized in horror.

And the closest dozen all turned their cannons. Six glanced at Fol. And while he was frozen on the spot as well, he was frozen because of wonder, rather than horror. He must not have seen his entire fleet in one place. It was the only explanation.

But a hailing of their com brought him out of his reverie. He activated the console.

"This is Sang'Katarn Space Traffic Control to unidentified ONI Prowler." a Jackal STC Controller started, with a threatening tone and look. "You aren't registered to be arriving. State your name, business and proper clearance code within thirty seconds or we will open fire."

"This is Fol Katarn, requesting access to the Planet's surface. I have an UNSC envoy with me. Clearance code: Arum Silket 26-528."

The Jackal was silent for a few seconds as it cleared Fol's code. And when it did, it immediately sat up straighter. And it's look immediately turned from threatening to reverence. It's tone also was much calmer. "My apologies, Field-Marshal. You're cleared to land inside Mount Isicus. I would clear you for Kortan-Sho, but it's filled with craft as it is, and I don't have the clearance to move any of it."

Fol nodded. "That's alright."

"If I may ask: Who is the envoy?"

Fol wanted to respond, but Six gently pushed him out of the way. She took Fol's place at the Console.

"This is Spartan B312, official UNSC envoy to Sang'Katarn. A demon, as many would call me."

The Jackal immediately took on a shocked look. To Six's surprise, it was one of wonder and awe, rather than outrage.

"You managed to convince a Spartan to come here? I'm impressed, Field-Marshal. Truly."

Six moved, so Fol could have the console again. Six saw, to her relief, that the cannons turned away.

"Your awe is noted. As you likely know, it is quite crowded up here. Can you guide us down?"

"Of course!" the Jackal immediately said. "Just follow the coordinates I send you. Oh, and someone is on the line for you. You'll like to know who it is."

Fol wanted to ask more, but the Jackal's image disappeared.

To be replaced by the image of the largest Elite Six had ever seen. Like Fol, it's armor was that of a Field-Marshal. But while Fol's armor was entirely purple, save for the black because of Fol's damaged chest plate, this Elite's armor was accented with black along with the purple. It was also armed, as Six could see a Concussion Rifle slung across it's back.

It was also smiling. Fol immediately sat straighter. "Kal! You're alive!"

The Elite nodded. "I am not killed as easi-" it paused. Then it took on a concerned look. "Your eye! What happened?"

Fol's smile vanished. His hand went up to his right eye. His scarred one, from his fight against Six at the Onager cannon on Reach. Six had made a stab at Fol's eye, and wound had resulted in a large scar across his eye, and Fol's right eye becoming blind.

Fol chuckled. "I should have stopped at five Spartans instead of Six. The last one I fought did that. I'm lucky to be alive."

the Elite nodded. "I'll bet. Did you kill it?"

Six spoke up from outside the screen's view. "I'm still alive. And if you are even half as tough as Fol, it will be interesting to meet you in person."

The Elite glanced at the corners of the screen. "Who is speaking?"

Fol moved aside, and Six again took his place. "the Spartan that took his eye. Can I have yours, too?"

Fol sent her a glare with his good eye, but Six ignored it. "I still have room for more teeth for my collection."

the Elite paused for a second. Then it laughed. "So. You are the envoy?"

"Yours truly." Six answered.

"Then these days will be interesting. The UNSC is actually smart enough to send warriors instead of diplomats."

Six nodded. "And who am I speaking to?"

"This is Kal Katarn, Battlemaster of the Sang'Katarn armies."

Six nodded. _So this is Fol's tall brother, as he called him._ _This will be interesting._

"We'll, let's just say I look forward to meeting you once I am on the surface."

"Which will be soon. I am at Isicus. And your ETA is fifteen minutes, according to our calculations."

Six looked at the navigational console. The Elite was right: Void had taken initiative, and followed the coordinates the Jackal had sent them.

"Indeed. Fol is practically jumping on his feet in anticipation. See you planetside."

Kal nodded. "Yes. I'll see you there. A warning though, to Fol. We have a recording of his... _Speech_ in the Cave on Reach."

Fol froze. And he looked nervous. Apparently he hadn't thought it through about the fact his words at the Forerunner cave system on Reach could get back to his planet.

"Noted." Six answered for him. The Sangheili's still listening, so he heard."

Kal nodded. "There is more, but that's easier to say in person. See you there." the com cut off, replaced by the symbol of the UNSC. Six turned to Fol.

"Well. That was... interesting to witness."

"I'm glad you could get along with my brother. But this is worrisome. I wanted to be the one to break it to my people that I defected. Now that they already know, things could be different."

Six just shrugged. "I will deal with it. Come on, it's quite a stroll from here to the ramp to leave the ship."

Fol nodded, and together they moved to leave the bridge. Then Void spoke for the first time. With an unusual request.

"Can I accompany you? I am curious about the planet as well."

Fol looked at the main view screen. "It could be handy. You would instantly understand the entirety of the language. But he mustn't hack on his own initiative."

Void nodded. "Thank you."

Six moved over to the Data Pedestal, and after a moment, a data chip came out. She grabbed it, looking it over for a moment.

This was the first time Six actually had an AI in her head, like John had done with Cortana, or Kelly with Kalmiya. She had carried Cortana's chip before, but she hadn't had an AI in her head before. This would be a new experience for her.

"Ok. Here goes." she put the chip in the back of her helmet, which was still same as she'd gotten from Reach and the Gettysburg. When she had been offered the chance to test some new gear, she had declined for multiple reasons. For one, she was accustomed to this gear, and she knew she could upgrade it on her own. For another, she would be forced to part with the shoulder plate from Emile's armor, something she wasn't yet able to do.

The feeling that came across her as she put in the data chip could best be described as a cold chill going across her back. After a moment, a voice came across her helmet's audio systems.

Void's voice.

"Integration complete. If you wish, I can augment your speed and reflexes. I can't make you move on _my own_ initiative, but any move you make I can augment."

 _So this is what the Chief feels like when Cortana's present._ Six nodded. "Understood. Be silent for now unless spoken to. We don't want to scare the Sang'Katarn people into silence. And stay out of my memories. That's personal."

"Agreed." Void said. "I will monitor, but otherwise just observe, as Fol recommended."

Six then turned to Fol. "Shall we?"

Fol nodded, and they moved to the exit of the ship.

After about five minutes they arrived. They waited, and just stood as the ship's automated systems landed the ship according to the Jackal's data. Then the hatch lowered. Fol walked down first. Six noted that besides his Energy Swords and Fuel-Rod gun, he had a human Assault Rifle with him.

He was greeted by Kal, as well as a Brute

And from Six's angle, she could tell it was massive. Normal Brutes would, from this angle, be seen up to their chest. But this one was only visible below the waist.

She listened as Fol and Kal greeted each other. They spoke in Sangheili, and the translation appeared on her HUD, similarly to how Tends to Rise had spoken to her on the Ascendant-Justice/Gettysburg.

( _Hello, Brother. Long time no see._ )

( _Indeed, Fol. How's the Covenant front line?_ )

( _you should know. You were also gone for Six months. Where have you been, then?_ )

Kal paused. ( _We discovered something that will change everything we know. We were there for Six months, alongside humans. You were right. They aren't as dishonorable as they appeared. Some of their demons even aided me for a time._ )

( _What are you talking about? What's going on?_ )

( _You will hear later on. But for now, our latest guest is waiting._ )

Six took that as her signal, and walked down the ramp.

Kal and the Brute were indeed waiting, along with an honor guard of twenty members of various species, including Brutes, Grunts, Elites, Jackals and Hunters.

The Brute standing with Fol was even larger than initially thought, up to two heads taller than Fol, and had broad shoulders. It was clearly very strong, as it was heavily muscled, and it had _two_ Gravity hammers swung across it's back, and yet didn't seem encumbered by it. Six knew if she tried the same thing, she would be slowed down immensely. It wore the armor of a Jiralhanae Chieftain,

All of them turned to her as she strode down the ramp. The Jiralhanae muttered something, and the translation appeared on her screen.

( _That's the demon? I expected it to be taller._ )

Six turned to the Brute. And she spoke in Sangheili, which she never told Fol she learned in the past month. "I know I am short. But I make up for my size by being highly skilled. More so than your legendary Fol Katarn, Field-Marshal of Sang'Katarn."

The Brute, along with Fol and Kal, jerked back in surprise. ( _You understand our language?_ )

"Well enough to speak and hear it. Not enough to write it, though. But I can live with that."

Void, catching on, shut down the text screen. Six looked at the honor guard. "Such a welcome for a demon and a deserter. I'm impressed. On most planets either of us would be dead by now."

"Indeed." Kal said. "It is an honor to greet you here, as you're the first willing Human on Sang'Katarn."

Six nodded. "I know. And I am aware of Gray Team, so no need for secrecy about it."

Kal nodded, and the Brute visibly sagged it's shoulders in relief. Six looked behind her, around the prowler.

She could see they had literally hollowed out the entire mountain, so a lot of people and ships fit inside. She was standing on a stone walkway, which seemed to be the main means of transportation for pedestrians. Below, there was a large abyss, and at the bottom...

She didn't believe their eyes. The bottom was filled with Gold, Diamonds and other precious metals and jewelry. As far as the eye could see across the bottom of the mountain floor. Fol followed her gaze, and laughed.

"Yes. We have a mountain filled with gold. Isicus is called the Mountain of Gold. Did you think we could finance our military by mere will of the population? Even we need to pay our soldiers, so that everyone has enough food, clothes and other supplies. And it all comes from the riches of our mountains."

Six stared for a moment, before turning to Fol and the others. "This is all from your mountains?"

Kal shook his head. "Not every mountain is mined, and only this one is mined to this extend. The others are hollowed out as well, but only this one has such a large supply of valuable materials."

Six glanced at all the gold. If HIGHCOM ever found this, the Earth would pay off all her debts, and the finances of a thousand fleets would be covered for decades. And the insurrectionists... the Sovereign Colonies wouldn't be the only one to buy their own freedom from the UEG and UNSC.

"That's a lot of gold." she finally said. "But I don't think you people are known for your riches."

"Indeed." the Brute said. "You came here for a purpose: to meet with our leadership and hope to convince us to fight alongside you."

Six nodded. "You have good intel, wherever you get it from."

the Brute shook his head. "It's merely deduction. Why else would you show up here with merely a Prowler, with one of our own saying you are a diplomat?"

"What is your name?" Six asked. This Brute was far more intelligent than the others, and far more dangerous. She needed to know more about him.

"Kronos. And to get back on the subject, You arrived a bit late: our monthly meeting has begins in a few hours, and it's too late to invite you as a guest or speaker. Fol has been ordered to be present, but the Kaidon is insistent you aren't for this meeting."

Six sighed. So she had to wait for a month to get the support for Earth she needed. By that time, the planet could already have fallen. She needed to hurry things up.

"Any chance I can get in on that meeting anyway?" she asked.

"No." Kal said. "You are too late to go in formally and officially. And if you try to sneak or fight your way in, all you'd do is make yourself look hostile to us."

So she had to do things the hard way, then: earning their trust and being social to them. To the species that have tried to wipe out her own.

She hoped that she could tolerate it for that long.

"There is something we can do, however." Kal said. "Give us your arguments, and I, along with Kronos and Fol, will put them before the Council and the Kaidon. They still hear what you want to say."

Six nodded, and grabbed something from her pouch. She opened the datapad, and showed them the notes ONI had made: the UNSC was aware of the truth of Halo, that they would be willing to fight along the people of Sang'Katarn, that they could share technology, etc. All points ONI wanted to be clear. In truth, after Six had heard the summary Fol gave, she didn't believe they would be convinced by merely this.

Kal nodded as he read them. "I see. You didn't compose this, did you?"

Six shook her head. "I am merely the messenger when it comes to the precise terms. But the core of it is this: Things are dire for Humanity. Our Homeworld is located and we are on a lower technological level, outgunned and outnumbered. You want to split from the Covenant due to different ways of living. We could work together to end them. We ask for your help, and promise peace between our sides afterwards."

Kal nodded, and took it. "Fol and I are the Kaidon's children. He will listen if we utter these words. Whether he is swayed, however, is uncertain."

Six nodded. "I get it. While I wait, however, could you have someone to show me around? If I have to wait a month, I can use the time to get to know your people better. I have to wait a few hours, after all."

Kronos nodded. "I know just the right person for you to aid in the discovery of our culture."

Kal and Fol looked at the Brute confused, and Six looked at him with curiosity. Kronos smiled. "The Raptor."

Fol immediately took on a distressed look. "He's here? On Sang'Katarn?"

Kronos and Kal nodded. "Ooskoo returned us here. You will hear the details at the Council, Fol, but for now, let's just say he has an open stance towards humans. He even became close friends with a _Demon_."

Fol tilted his head. "Demons aren't known to be tolerant of us. Even _this_ _one_ still has it out for me sometimes."

"But Raptor-"

"You will hear the details at the meeting." Kronos interrupted. "But, to put it short, a lot has changed since your disappearance. And T'kan has changed too."

Fol nodded. "I won't pretend to understand. But if you insist..."

He turned to Six. "Our ways part for today. Be well, and good luck."

Six looked confused. "Raptor? T'kan? What are you guys going on about? Who, or what, is Raptor?"

"I am Raptor." a new voice said behind Six, and she whirled around.

Before her stood a Sangheili Zealot in golden armor. It stood about as tall as Fol, and had weary look to his eyes. He had a Needle Rifle swung across his back, and an Energy Sword attached to it's thigh. Six could see it was very experienced, as it's armor, unlike that of most she had seen, was heavily scarred and damaged. She could see a large gash across it's chest piece Six recognized as coming from an Energy Sword strike. It's eyes, as those of the rest of the species she had seen so far on this planet, were devoid of Hate, unlike those of the standard members of the Covenant. Instead, Six recognized in it's eyes a glint that indicated curiosity. She knew because she had seen it a few times before in Fol's eyes.

The Zealot turned to Kal. "Ooskoo sent me to pick you all up and get you to the Council Chambers. A transport is waiting a few Catwalks away to take you to Kortan-Sho."

Kal nodded. "Thank you, T'kan. I have a request, however."

The Zealot briefly glanced at Six. "Does it have to do with this new Spartan Fol has brought back?"

Kronos nodded. "Yes. You are just as aware as I am that she arrived too late to attend the meeting. It's disrespectful to leave an honored guest unattended, however. We'd like you to escort her through the city, as you are both highly skilled-"

The Zealot huffed. "I did not come here to do a Minor's work." it said in annoyance. "Besides, if she truly comes here in peace, what damage would she do? She's just one Spartan."

Kal looked at the Zealot. "Be that as it may, it is unwise to just ignore her, and leave her in ignorance as we just discuss important events. Besides, would you rather go and train Cadets?"

The Zealot just grumbled. "Fine. But let it be known, that my talent is being wasted here."

"Noted." Kal said. "But why do you object? You managed to befriend that Spartan back... there. What was his name? Randy?"

"That was on the battlefield, where we had a common distaste for Rahgath's rule over that place. Over time, that grew into mutual respect and friendship. Here, in my own home, we haven't got a lot in common. She's just a mere Spartan, sent by ONI to convince us to go down with them into the grave."

"I see." Kal said. "And what Ooskoo and I taught you about equality hasn't stuck with you, then? That on Sang'Katarn, everyone, no matter their species, is equal?"

"That Lesson has stuck with me. Still, that does not mean I should instantly like her. Does it?" the zealot retorted angrily.

"Enough." Six said. "Just let them go. The sooner Fol's back, the sooner you're rid of me."

The Zealot nodded. "Indeed. Just go, Battlemaster. I'll keep the Spartan... _entertained_."

Kal nodded, and he, Fol and Kronos walked away, headed to the transport the Zealot spoke off. The Zealot turned to her. "So, Demon. What do you wish to see first?" it asked with disinterest.

Six looked around briefly. "An empty room, with enough space to maneuver."

The Zealot looked at her. She could tell, despite it's initial hostility, that it was interested in her. "And why do you want to see that?"

Six looked at it. "So I can see what you're made of."

The Zealot nodded in understanding. "This way, then. There's a small training room near here, an equivalent to your 'gym'. It has a sparring square."

Six followed the Elite, who walked, despite his many wounds she could see, with strength and health. Clearly, the wounds were old ones.

She wondered how it would be to duel this Zealot, for while it held a lower rank than Fol, something told her this one was a highly skilled veteran of Sang'Katarn. Maybe it was in how Kal and the others talked about him, or how he spoke, but Six somehow knew fighting him would be a challenge she hadn't seen since Halo.

* * *

High Council Chamber, Capital of Kortan-Sho, Sang'Katarn.

Fol, as soon as he entered, made his way down to the Speaker's stage, the pit in this room modeled after an arena.

He noted that, aside from the Kaidon, Kal and Ghanak, only the Councilors were present: very few visitors, like Ooskoo Rotam and Kronos, no usual honor guards for the Kaidon. Nothing. He also noted the chair for the Commander of the Fleet was still empty.

Then the door behind him opened, and a single Sangheili walked in. She moved with grace, and had the air of command around her, which was enhanced with the Cloak of Command she wore, signaling her status as Commander of the Fleet. It was who she was, however, that had Fol shocked.

It was his sister, Nera Katarn. Merely a shipmaster when Fol had last seen her three years ago. Due to his reputation, the Covenant wanted him on the front lines, securing as many victories for them as he could. While he could have refused, he, along with Nera and the other Katarns, agreed that it was best to play along, and hope to secure some information for themselves. Indeed, when Fol had raided Visegrad Station on Reach, he had turned it over to Sang'Katarn command instead of Thel Vadam, who was the ranking officer in the invasion of Sang'Katarn. There were many more examples where Fol being in the right place bought the Sang'Katarn warriors precious advantages for later.

But such tours meant he had little opportunity to visit his relatives, and Nera and the others rarely heard of him during the last tour. Clearly, a lot has changed since he was last here.

The Kaidon stood, and all bowed in homage to him. Reghok, however, held up his hand. "Please. I plan for this meeting to be more of a... _informal_ nature. Feel free to interrupt or move seats as you please." Most of the councilors acknowledged, and shifted a bit so they sat more comfortably. Fol, however, stayed where he was. The Kaidon looked down on him.

"And so at last, the 'prodigal son' of Sang'Katarn has returned. Though I believe you aren't called that anymore."

Fol nodded. "I think you know what transpired in the Caves on Reach. Do I need to explain myself?"

"No." Reghok said immediately. "I have merely one question that will answer my suspicions."

"Then ask, father, instead of speaking like a ruler. You wanted this meeting to be more informal? Then be more so _yourself_."

Most of the councilors gasped, shocked by the way Fol said his words. Were it an actual meeting, Fol knew he would be removed from the chambers. At the very least. His father wasn't as tolerant of such insolence as his predecessors.

Now, however, the Kaidon merely sighed. "Very well. What was the name of the monitor you spoke to?"

Fol would have answered straight away, had he not been surprised by the nature of the question itself. _How in the nine Ibie'shan Hells did Reghok know of that?_ Nevertheless, it was a question asked by the Kaidon, and Fol was obliged to answer.

"His name was 343 Guilty Spark, and he was the monitor of Installation 04." Fol said. "May I ask how you knew of this?"

"You may." the Kaidon said. He didn't answer further, however. Fol rolled his eyes. This was his father when he was younger: Making silly jokes in order to keep the young entertained. But when he was in battle in the past, one had better be hiding behind a barricade 3 kilometers thick, or one could find Reghok standing in front of you, a moment away from spearing you with a Katarn.

"How did you come by that information, father?" Fol asked exasperated.

"I didn't. It was a guess. Though a few need to fill you in on something before you will learn how I came to hazard such a guess."

Ooskoo and Kal stood up at this, and Reghok fell silent. Kal spoke first. "You are aware that I went with Rahgath Rotam six months ago, on a short journey." Fol nodded, and Kal continued. "What Rahgath had found after studying ancient signs on the Guardian underneath Sunaion, was Instalation 06."

Fol held his breath. _Could it be..._

"It was a Halo, a sacred ring, as the Covenant called it. He called for his brother, and he came, pursued by the modified Stealth Frigate UNSC Midsummernight. They drove it off, into the shadow of the Ring, and the brothers conversed over the com."

At this, Kal fell silent, and Ooskoo continued. "My brother and I congratulated each other, and caught up on events since our last meeting. Once the subject came to the ring, I questioned my brother about whether he would inform the Clan about his discovery. He informed me that he wanted to activate the ring himself. I openly disapproved, and it seemed to demoralize him." Ooskoo paused, his voice heavy with regret. "My vessel was damaged during the journey to Halo, by the human vessel, and I sent a ship to my brother's vessel to gather supplies for repairs." Once again Ooskoo paused. Fol was surprised. Ooskoo was, despite his odd philosophical questions, usually one that got straight to the point. From here, on the Speaker's stage, it seemed like he was reliving old memories.

Painful memories.

"As soon as the ship was on-board, My brother opened fire on me, destroying the Unheard Revelation, my SDV-class Corvette. A small minority of the crew, including myself, managed to survive by landing on Halo in whatever craft we could get our hands on: Banshees, Drop pods, Escape pods, Phantoms... the whole lot. The Humans, their vessel hunted by Rahgath's Faithful Conviction, deployed a few drop bases and dug in, hoping Rahgath's forces wouldn't attack them. Rahgath let them be, more interested in the Ring itself.

We traveled across Halo for Six months, destroying Rahgath's forces as we went without leaving a single survivor. Then, a miracle happened."

Kal took over again for this part. "A group of seven Spartans suddenly appeared. They weren't part of the Midsummernight's crew. We later learned they had used, and I quote, 'Experimental Teleportation Technology', in order to escape from the Planet Reach, as it burned. They rallied the human forces, made alliances with some of Rahgath's critics, and together we prevented the activation of the ring."

Fol started to understand the hesitation of the others to discuss it in the open. What had happened there would be outrageous, if it ever got back to High-Charity. And not everyone on Sang'Katarn was aligned with the planet's policies. And, if they went to a Halo, they likely encountered the monitor as well. And if the monitor told them the same thing as Spark told Fol, then it would explain the massive fleet in orbit. The Kaidon would want to hasten his schedule of splitting off from the Covenant, and have all loyal forces on the planet. That also explained the crowded Capital and increased security he saw everywhere else. But Kal was still talking, so Fol continued to listen.

"Along the way, we encountered the Ring's monitor, 16807 Contrite Vestige, and he allied with us. After defeating Rahgath and taking the Faithful Conviction, we managed to convince the monitor to secure some new technology, and, after securing everyone aboard, destroyed the ring."

That all allayed some of Fol's worries. If the Halo was destroyed, then it was one less installation that could be activated. And one less place the Flood could be released from. From the sound of their story, Rahgath had miraculously managed to stay away from the Flood containment facilities. But if the Covenant discovered the remains, they would exact revenge against those who had destroyed it.

"We dropped the humans, including the Spartans, off at the edge of their territory with ready means of communications. We immediately jumped to Sang'Katarn afterwards, and made our report to the council. And that brings us here, with someone who openly rejects the Covenant bringing one of the best Spartans the humans have here to negotiate peace between us." Kal finished.

Fol nodded, as he looked at Ooskoo and Kal. With him, and Six especially, the Council would be worried, for the Covenant were on a holy crusade to exterminate humanity, and there was no way they would be able to hide this alliance. And if they allied and humanity fell, so would Sang'Katarn. But they would also be interested. Thanks to Fol and the three San'Shyuum on the council, the reputation of humanity on Sang'Katarn was positive, rather than negative. They were respected for their courage and tenacity, rather than hated for the supposed destruction of Forerunner artifacts on Harvest and the 'killing' of the initial Covenant envoys. But in fact, the Covenant had attacked first, and a war of extermination had been declared by Truth when after humanity had retreated from the planet.

"Yes. That explains a lot. And this monitor, Contrite, did he also tell you the truth about Humanity and the purpose of Halo?" Fol finally asked after a moment of silence.

"Yes." the Kaidon said. "And he repeated it in front of the council."

Fol nodded. "Then what I have to tell you won't come as a big surprise. But still, I'll tell what happened while I was away for over a month."

and Fol told them everything: The fall of Reach, the encounter at the Onager with Six, Halo's discovery, the Truth and Reconciliation, the Flood, The cooperation with Six, the Library, the revelation in the Control room, the Autumn, the take-over of the Ascendant Justice, the return to Reach, the escape, the decimated insurrectionist outpost, the Unyielding Hierophant, his stay at Earth. He even included the conversations that led to this diplomatic mission led by Six. At a few intervals, a Councilor would ask a question or clarification, but overall they let him speak. He noted Nera was silent for the entirety, though, like she was assessing something.

After he was done, the room was eerie silent. After a minute, the Kaidon finally spoke. "Alright, let's see if I examine this correctly: Two Halo Rings have been discovered, the monitor of one of which is missing, Humanity is supposed to possess the Mantle of Responsibility, before the Forerunners brought them down on a technological level. The war against humanity is proven to be on false grounds. You have openly given your support to Humanity, along with several others from Ooskoo's army. Rahgath and his followers are in prison awaiting proper sentencing. And Humanity seeks to rally us to their cause." he paused. "A rather unusual situation. One we haven't come across often."

Fol nodded. "Indeed. And what is your command, Father?"

"It's not merely his command." Nera spoke from her place on the Council, and everyone turned to her.

"It's the decision of the entire council. We can't merely leave the decision what our people will do to merely one Sangheili, no matter his power or prestige. It should be to the entire council."

She stood up. "We are all affected by what will happen. I have to send ships to their deaths in order to either defend merely my own people or humanity as well. The Battlemaster has to send armies to defend our own people. Or he has to work alongside humans, who will be suspicious of us. And Humanity has to either watch as billions of it's own soldiers are eradicated in their defense, before they die themselves, or accept that we will fight alongside them. And they won't do so lightly, as our species have been fighting, no, _are_ fighting a war of extinction against them. " she pointed at the Kaidon. "No order that decides the fate of billions, trillions even, must be given by a single man. I suggest we ponder this. We discuss. And we reconvene within two weeks, and the entire council decides the fate, not one Kaidon."

most of the Council were clapping now, Fol included. His sister, previously lacking in self-confidence due to having little experience, had grown because of the new position she owns. And, with this speech, she showed she took her new position _very_ seriously. He was proud of what she had become.

The Kaidon, however, didn't seem pleased. "We will discuss this. But it will be in a month, not two weeks. And be-"

But he was drowned out by the shouts of protest from many of the Councilors, most of whom wanted it in two weeks. Others rose to the Kaidon's defense, saying that it took at least four weeks to gather the remaining forces that hadn't arrived yet anyway.

But Fol silenced them all.

"SILENCE!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, and everyone immediately stopped arguing. Even the Kaidon looked at him in surprise.

After making sure he had everyone's attention, he finally spoke. "This is a very serious matter. I understand you concerns. If Humanity falls, we will be dragged down with it. It is a fact. But consider this: There is an entire Species out there, having soldiers that strike fear into the hearts of every Covenant soldier, and I dare say even my own. They have fleets of ships at their disposal. If we don't aid them, they will fall anyway, and we will stand alone. And, as is often uttered amongst our own men: Alone, we are strong. But together, we are unstoppable. I say that a compromise should be made: Three weeks away from today, we reconvene here, and let the Demon speak. After she has spoken, we decide as a council proper. We vote, and the decision of the majority vote decides our fate. Is that agreeable?"

everyone nodded, although Reghok did so reluctantly. He clearly didn't like it when he was disobeyed, especially from his most prestigious son. But he was outnumbered by over a hundred people, and he didn't want the council rebelling against him.

Fol nodded. "You agree, Kaidon?" Fol took care to call his father by his proper title instead of his parental role, like the rest of the meeting. It was a statement that he disagreed with him, one that Reghok wouldn't miss.

Judging from his reaction, he didn't. "I agree, Field-Marshal. Three weeks from now, we reconvene and let the Spartan speak. Then, we decide what course our people will sail."

everyone nodded, and the Councilors dispersed, as nothing more needed to be said. Fol left as well, before anyone could catch up with him and hold him up.

He failed, however, as Ooskoo caught up with him. "You wish to send our people to Humanity's aid. Don't you?"

"Yes." Fol said. "You said it yourself: Humanity is willing to fight alongside us. Their 'demons' are merely soldiers. Excellent soldiers, true, but soldiers none the less. They aren't immortal. If we don't come to their aid, no one will. And they will fall."

Ooskoo nodded. "'United we stand, divided we fall.' We should ally with Humanity, even if Humanity or the Kaidon are hesitant to realize it. But all soldiers realize this. T'kan Ghan, Kalos Ossal'ee, Thel Sel'Gath... do I need to name more examples of who support you?"

"No." Fol immediately said. "I know we have support among the civilian people and the soldiers. But what if Re- the Kaidon doesn't agree, and he pulls his Veto? What then?"

Ooskoo shook his head. "There is the challenge-"

"No. I won't kill my father, and no one else is willing to step into that ring in fear of my father's skill. It isn't an option."

Ooskoo looked at him. "And what if the Spartan you brought takes up the challenge?"

Fol considered it. The Challenge was a simple concept: if someone doubted the Kaidon's decision, or his ability to lead, they got to challenge the right to duel the Kaidon. It would go on until either combatant was dead. If Six took up the challenge, and she succeeded, she would be able to lead them against the Covenant along humanity. But a human would lead them, and no one knew what reaction that would spur.

But if she failed, it would only make the Kaidon's rule more secure, and it would be years before anyone would even _dare_ think about challenging him again. And Fol, despite his hesitance to admit her status as one, would lose a friend. She would become a Shiralei.

"I'm not sure we should be risking the life of a guest so casually. Reghok's strong, quick, skilled and dangerous. Even if Six is one of the best Spartans, I wouldn't risk her life on a hunch she'll succeed."

Ooskoo nodded. "I wouldn't want to do so either. But if she was told, what do you think she would do?"

Fol briefly thought of what she would do. She was quick, strong, and dedicated to her cause. She also cared a lot for her fellow teammates. If she could do anything to help her fellow Spartans, which is why he guessed she had agreed in the first place, she would do it.

"She would agree to it. Like all Spartans, she is loyal. She would do it if she thought it would aid humanity."

Ooskoo was silent, and Fol looked at him. Ooskoo had a glazed look in his eyes, like he was reliving a memory. Fol suddenly remembered something: Ooskoo had to fight his own brother on Halo. It must have hurt to fight him. Fol knew he would be if he had to oppose Kal in such a way.

But then Ooskoo looked up, and he seemed to have forgotten he had lapsed into memory. "Then tell her about it, and let her decide herself. It is unfair to make her decide when she doesn't know all her options."

"Agreed." Fol said. "Now, if you'd excuse me, I have a Spartan to get off of T'kan's hands."

Ooskoo nodded. "I have something to discuss with him. Could you send him to my quarters?"

"Sure." Fol said. "Good day, Ooskoo Rotam."

"Good day, Fol Katarn."

Fol held his fist up in salute, and Ooskoo did likewise. They then each went their own way. Fol sought out the Public Transportation system, and made his way to the train to Isicus. He wondered what Six was doing.

* * *

Sparring Square, training Room, Isicus, Sang'Katarn

Six briefly looked over the room as she entered the room. Indeed, it was similar to a gym, with a lot of exercise equipment set near the walls. Six noted a rack from which Energy Sword hilts hung.

Dominating the room, however, was something Six had seen before a few times, on the Gettysburg. It was ten by ten meters, had four lines on the ground, and had a single gap in one corner through which people could exit: a Sparring Square. Just as utilitarian and spartan as the one Fol had made on the Gettysburg.

Six looked again at the Zealot. He hadn't spoken since Six had asked for the room, though she had to admit she hadn't started the conversation either. She had instead looked up all data Void had on a Sangheili individual named Raptor. And, as Six suspected, he had come up empty. She had subsequently ordered him to stay silent, and not aid her by augmenting her speed and reflexes. He had complied, of course.

She had no idea why the AI was here. He hadn't added anything to it, as she understood Sangheili, or Sangheilian, or whatever they named the language. He had a large repository of information, true, but it was nothing that couldn't wait until she could get back to the Hidden Veil. She briefly wondered if the AI was starting to reactivate his personality or emotional systems, and if the request for coming along had been a result of him being interested in learning about the culture.

But no. He was an AI, and his processors didn't just reactivate. No without direct orders to do so. Besides, he was a Smart AI, despite his nature to be emotionless. And Smart AI needed new information like humans needed oxygen. It was merely a request to sustain himself, nothing more. She dismissed the possibility, and turned to the Zealot. "So. When do you want to start?"

The Zealot stepped into the ring. "Right now." he activated his Energy Sword. To Six' surprise, its blade was Orange in color, rather than blue-white.

Six activated one of her own blades, and stepped into the ring. Six immediately started the offensive. She made a strike at his head, in an attempt to strike him there. The Zealot blocked, but made no further move to continue into an offensive. Six made another attempt to strike at him, this time aiming for his left arm. As last time, the Zealot merely blocked, nothing more.

It went on like that for a bit, with Six making multiple attacks, and the Zealot merely blocking. But Six couldn't get through his defenses. She was getting frustrated with her lack of progress. She made a thrust towards his chest, and he swapped it aside. Six made another strike at his legs, but instead of pulling away after the block, she kept pushing. The Zealot gave pressure back. They each kept pushing, trying to out-force the other. Six had to admit she was at a disadvantage, for she was smaller, lighter and slightly weaker than the Zealot, the last of which she knew because of the force with which he blocked her strikes. She had to change tactics soon, or he'd easily beat her.

She fell onto her back, and the Elite fell forwards in surprise, not expecting her to give way as fast. She pulled her legs up and made him fall over them. He fell over her, and landed on his back. Six jumped up and landed on her feet. She turned to him.

The Zealot was already in a crouch, and got up as he did so. Six saw him smile. "Impressive." he said. "You were taught well. But you miss something."

Six nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Let the enemy make the first move and all that stuff. I know it."

The Zealot nodded. "I can see that. But I was referring to something else."

"Oh?" Six was getting interested now.

"You wield the readiness needed for this kind of fight. But you lack the patience. You were getting frustrated by having no progress in beating my defense. So you resorted to temporarily being at a disadvantage in order to beat me quickly."

Six nodded. "Yes. I never had the luxury of time on my side. So I taught myself how to defeat people quickly. And that sometimes succeeds by being at a momentary disadvantage."

"You now have about a month to fight. Clearly enough to take your time." the Zealot said. "Take your time."

"I make my own choices." Six said. Nevertheless, she resolved to try taking her time in the next fight.

The Zealot nodded. "And the choices we make ensure our immortality."

Six looked confused at the Elite, even though she kept her sword up and ready. "Immortality."

the Zealot took on a new look, one of renewed interest. "You've wondered this prospect before." it wasn't a question. But Six answered anyway. "Yes. Though more in the area of 'will my actions be remembered by others, or will ONI classify everything that involves me?'"

"Your team mates will remember you."

"There's no guarantee they will survive this war." Six retorted. "They are at earth, where they will die when the Covenant invades the planet. And who will be left then? Who?"

The Zealot was silent after that. They dueled, and Six noted that she got a bit better with each piece of advice the Zealot gave. After both took a momentary break, Six decided to start the conversation up again. "So what's your name, anyway?"

"T'kan." he said. "T'kan Ghan. Zealot of the Sang'Katarn army."

Six nodded, and held out her hand for shaking. "Pleasure to meet you, T'kan."

T'kan, to her surprise, shook it immediately. "The pleasure is mine. And what is your name?"

"Six"

T'kan did a Sangheili equivalent of raising his eyebrows. "I thought Six was a number, not a name."

"It is, but it was my callsign on my previous team. Since I have orders from ONI to keep my real name hidden, I haven't told anyone my real name."

T'kan nodded. "Not even your real team mates?"

"No. Even the AI in my head doesn't know."

"And you are surprised no one remembers you." he said. "When no one even knows your real name."

Six wanted to retort to the Elite. But deep down she knew he was right. She was very secretive about her identity, even for a Spartan. Only three people had seen her face and were alive to this day. One of them was a Spartan currently on Earth, who was likely preparing to blow things up. Another was the Commander in Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence. And the last one was a twenty year old girl who had been evacuated from the planet after her father had been killed at Visegrad relay. Six knew she was hiding it for some internal reason instead of merely following orders. Shame for her crimes against insurrectionists, including killing a child. Self-loathing, for the fact she would likely never truly be punished for her crimes against humans. Hatred, for the fact she could never have the life she wanted, and thus, she never showed it.

It likely wouldn't make sense to others if she explained it, so she never mentioned it. But she knew that if she was offered the chance to restart her life and have the life she wanted, along with a few friends, she would have taken it.

Then again, without her, Humanity wouldn't have had a Hyper-lethal Spartan to defend them on Reach. To aid John and Blue Team on Halo. To recover Linda and Jun on the Unyielding Hierophant. No, this is where she needed to be, even if she wanted something else. No, she wouldn't do it.

"Tell me something. What would you want to be if you couldn't be a Spartan?" T'kan asked, as if reading her thoughts. "None of the Spartans I've met so far have answered that question."

Six briefly thought it over. "I would be a fighter. I would defend those I cared for."

"Not so different than what you do right now." T'kan noted. "And yet you seem displeased with it."

"That's because I have no choice." Six said. "No choice which fights I fight. Alongside who I fight. Against who I fight." she paused. "For who I fight."

"You want a life beside being a soldier." T'kan said, realizing what she was going for.

"I want a legacy. Someone who will remember me as a good person instead of merely a soldier or an assassin. Not a butcher or cold-blooded killer." she knew that if she continued, she would start to cry. This was a very sensitive subject for her. She had had pain about that fact for a long time. But she continued on.

"I hope every day that either the war will end, and ONI will discharge me, or that I'm killed, and I don't have to put up with the misery any longer. You think I enjoy being a soldier with no life outside the military? I can't fit in now, even if I wanted to."

"And yet you are social enough to tell me about it." T'kan said. "That's something not every Spartan can accomplish." he crouched down, and grabbed a chair to sit on. He also grabbed a crate she could sit on. "I was deployed on a ship, the Unheard Revelation. I served under a wise Shipmaster, Ooskoo Rotam. I was, after a costly engagement with a human vessel, sent with two others to get repairs. But the Unheard Revelation was deployed because the shipmaster of the ship I went to disagreed with Ooskoo about a minor matter. I wanted to strike down the Shipmaster. But I was surrounded and outnumbered. I had no choice but to temporarily submit myself to the shipmaster's rule. For six months I was sent from one place to another, forced to do his bidding. But one of you, a Spartan, showed me that I could regain my honor, and I did. With his aid."

he looked her in the eye. "I know what it's like to have no choice. But you shouldn't let that stop you. Bide your time, and once the war is over, leave."

Six looked at him in surprise. Was the Elite really asking her to defect? But he continued on. "You have no reason to stick around: You value other things than what the UNSC wants you to, they owe you a life, and you have no reason to stay there in the worst case scenario."

"That's cruel." Six said, only half meaning it. That was a low blow, saying that she would have no reason to stay. But he was right. If worse came to worst, she would indeed be alone after the war was over.

She turned to him. "And what if someone lives, and they want to stay with the UNSC? What then?"

T'kan shrugged. "Then give them the opportunity to join you. If they refuse, you decide for yourself what you'll do. Leave or stay. Either way, the choice is your own."

Six nodded, even if she didn't dare think about it. It was treason. She would be hunted by ONI until they recaptured her or killed her. And yet, the thought of freedom...

But no. She had a mission. She had a purpose, at least for now. If she deserted, she would have no clue what she would do: She disliked pirates, being a mercenary didn't pay enough these days to sustain her financially, and joining the insurrection wasn't an option. One day a Spartan could be sent against her if she did join. And she knew she didn't have what it took to put them down. Not one of her own. No, she would stay. Better to be at the wrong place at the moment than having no place at all.

They continued sitting in silence for a moment. Six turned to him. T'kan was just sitting there, looking up at the roof in boredom. Then she remembered something, and she laughed. T'kan looked at her in surprise.

"So it isn't just Fol, then."

"What isn't?" T'kan asked, confused.

"Your fighting style." Six elaborated. "You are very skilled. But _way_ too formal. No use of something other than just your sword. No kicks, no strikes with your other hand, no use of other objects. Nothing."

T'kan got up, interested now. Six walked back into the ring, explaining as she went. "Fighting with just your sword is honorable, I'll admit. But it makes you hold back. You don't exploit your full potential." she stretched out her hand. T'kan took it...

and Six pulled him into the ring, and threw him over her, onto the ground. T'kan grunted as he fell into the square. Six stood over him, activating her sword so the blade was merely an inch from his throat. "And those tips are useless if you don't keep your guard up."

T'kan nodded, and he got up. Indeed, as Six attacked, she noticed T'kan was starting to use his other limbs more as well. After a moment, Six broke it off. "Good. You're learning."

T'kan nodded. "Indeed. Mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure." Six said, as she blocked another strike from T'kan, which he followed up with a roundhouse kick aimed at her head, which she ducked.

"At the Council meeting you'll attend, will you issue the Challenge?"

Six stepped away, and deactivated her energy sword. After seeing Six' confusion, T'kan did likewise. "What Challenge?" Six asked.

"Ah, Fol hasn't told you yet?" T'kan asked with realization. "There is an ancient law pertaining to the meeting: if someone disagrees with the Kaidon's decision, they have the right to challenge him to a duel to the death. The victor becomes the leader of Sang'Katarn, the new Kaidon. The people would follow him, or her, anywhere. Even death. The loser dies."

Six pondered that. If she did challenge the Kaidon, she would have to fight him to the death. If she lost, she would be killed. So this would likely be the fight of her life, as the Kaidon has managed to hold on to his position so far, and wasn't to be taken lightly. But if she won, she would be the leader of these people. She would have armies and fleets behind her, to rally to Earth's defense. Hundreds of ships could be rallied to the right fight. While it may not secure the victory automatically, it would surely even up the odds in Humanity's favor.

But why hadn't Fol told her about this? He knew what it could mean. Humanity would have an armada at their backs. She thought he would trust her by now with this information. Especially after the events concerning Halo, even if she wanted to kill him. Why would he hide somethi-

Then it hit her. _The Kaidon was his father._ If Six were to challenge the Kaidon, Fol would be forced to choose between his Father and a Spartan who has tried multiple times to kill him. No wonder he hid this kind of thing from her.

No matter. Six was aware now, and if the Kaidon proved too difficult, she would issue that challenge. Even if it could be her death.

* * *

New Mombasa, Kenya, East-Africa, Earth.

John crouched down, as he took cover from fire of the Covenant assault party that has been tracking them for hours.

As instructed, he had regrouped with the second squad, at their crashed pelican. John had subsequently led a charge against the Covenant forces occupying the beach, as they were harassing a large force of marines, and the force was between him and the bridge to New Mombasa anyway. The force, however, had called for reinforcements, including Brutes. They had pursued them even after John and the Marines had crossed the Bridge, and were harassing them even now, as John was leading the marines to a Forward Operating Base, led by a Lieutenant Mattock. John's plan was to lead the marines still alive, including Stacker and Dubbo, to this F.O.B, get some ammunition, and hijack the Scarab.

But they weren't going to get there within the year if this fire kept up, as he couldn't move without being cut down. The Brute assault party was located on the other side of the street, and was entrenched deeply inside the warehouse on the other side. A Marine walked over to him, under the cover of various wrecked cars and debris. "Sir, what's our plan?" he asked.

John briefly assessed the situation. They, twelve marines and one Spartan, were pinned down by over twenty Brutes. That was how many John managed to count, at least, before he was forced to take cover due to the increasing amount of fire. The F.O.B was just down the street, just three blocks away. They were running a little low on ammo, and they were running out of time, as the longer they sat there, the more time the Brutes had to surround them. An impossible situation for marines.

Just a walk in the park for a Spartan. He hit the Com. "Johnson, can you make an Artillery strike at the Coordinates I'm sending you? We're pinned down."

"Negative, Chief." came the instant reply. "Our Artillery is currently busy trying to beat the Covenant's fortifications at the Uplift Nature reserve. The Carrier is sitting there right over it. As soon as we have that Scarab, though, beating their fortifications is a piece of cake."

"Doesn't exactly help our current predicament, Sergeant." Cortana noted.

"I know. I can do something else, though. Can you hold out for a minute or two? I will send you a gift."

John briefly glanced over his cover. It looked like the Brutes were waiting them out, instead of immediately flanking the vulnerable marines. "Shouldn't be a problem." John answered.

"If it is, he won't hear the end of it from me." Wilson called over the com.

Johnson laughed. "Well, good luck. And keep your diapers clean." a click sounded, indicating John wasn't listening any longer. Wilson grabbed his Sniper rifle, and took aim at the building the Brutes occupied. He fired three times, and John was satisfied to see that three Brutes fell down, with one even falling from the window. John briefly looked up at the top of the building, and saw that a pair of Jackals were taking Sniper positions on the roof. John fired on them with his recovered Carbine, aiming for their heads. He managed to hit one, but the other got into cover before John could hit him. Fire from Brute Spikers and Brute Shots forced John back into cover.

His cover, however, was being chipped away, the Brute shots obliterating the truck he was hiding behind. The shocks from the impacts of the grenades was even starting to drain John's shields, and although they were holding, he knew he was dead if he stayed here.

He tried glancing over the edge of his cover, the truck now destroyed enough for him to do so without standing on the small crate next to John. It didn't look good. The Marines, most of which were low on ammo, were pinned down behind cars that were shaking from the impacts of many Brute shots. And John was pinned as well, taking shots from over ten Brutes. He knew at that exact moment, there wasn't gonna be a miracle to save him now. Not even Johnson's 'gift'.

Then, thirty seconds after Johnson's transmission, a volley of Rockets hit the warehouse. The fire pinning John down immediately ceased, as did the fire on the marines. And the Jackal on the roof flew off, a rocket hitting the roof behind him. And still the volley went on. After a moment, John saw one corner of the roof starting to sag, the supports weakened from the many hits. John turned to the Marines and Wilson, the only ODST present. "Now! Throw Grenades!"

the marines, getting the picture, all primed their grenades, and John held up his empty hand, his other clutching all of his grenades. As he lowered his empty hand, he threw all of his grenades with the other. If the support failed from the blasts they received, the building would collapse on top of all of those Brutes, burying them alive.

The other marines, getting the picture, all threw their grenades on John's count. The grenades all landed on the bottom floor, near one corner of the building. As if in response, three more rockets hit the exact same spot. The force of the subsequent explosions shattered the that corner. The entire warehouse, now missing a load-bearing corner of its structure, started to sag and collapse. Debris started to fly around, and Brutes even started to jump out of the front of the building in desperation. Wilson shot them all as they landed, and John hit a few as well.

Then the building came down in a violent crash, and a large cloud of dust came up, preventing John from seeing what was happening. When it all settled down, the building was only a pile of rubble, with here and there a leg or paw of a Brute sticking out. The Marines started to cheer. Wilson walked over to the pile, and stood over it triumphantly. A few of the marines started to laugh.

"You know, if you walked over and joined him in his posing, it would make a brilliant propaganda picture." Cortana said in John's ear. From her tone, John could tell that although the comment was made as a joke, she was seriously enjoying the thought of him actually doing so.

"Maybe." John said. "But then I have Six nagging me as well. You know how she reacted when Sam pulled that stunt."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of that woman." Cortana said, mockingly shocked. "She's thirteen centimeters shorter than you."

"Yes, and a fight between us would end in a draw. And I don't like draws." John said. Nevertheless, he moved to join Wilson on the pile. Wilson, spotting John, depolarized his visor, and smiled. As John arrived at the pile, Wilson threw his arm around the Spartan in a comradely way.

Most of the marines looked at in surprise. ODST's and Spartans weren't known to get along well, as the ODST's considered the Spartans usurpers to their previously held title of humanity's best. Wilson, however, never showed any of that rivalry, and even got along with them well. As a result, Wilson only could smile as some of the marines took a step back in shock. Dubbo, however, was smart enough to make his mission recorder focus on Wilson and John for a few seconds, before he turned away. John and Wilson walked off of the pile.

Then a group of marines approached them, coming from the direction of the F.O.B. Judging from the fact that all of them carried smoking Rocket Launchers on their backs, John guessed they were his rescuers. Two marines stood out from the bunch, and they walked over to the Chief. One was a caucasian woman, with shoulder-length black hair with blue streaks and blue eyes. She seemed to be in her forties, and he thought he recognized her from somewhere. The other, a dark-skinned man in about his thirties with short-cropped black hair and brown eyes. Both saluted to the Chief, despite the fact John could see the rank bars of a Lieutenant on the woman's shoulders. John returned the salute.

"Thanks for the help, Ma'am. Your group saved us from that assault group."

"Happy to oblige." the Lieutenant said. She then turned to all the marines, the new arrivals helping out the survivors of John's group. "Get a move on!" she called. "We have coffee and cookies at the F.O.B, and I don't want Nicholas here to eat them all!"

most of the marines laughed, and they all headed towards the F.O.B. John fell into line. With the lieutenant. "How many soldiers are at the F.O.B?" John asked.

"About thirty, give or take. People have been coming and going since the morning, and I lost the exact track. It's over forty, if you and the marines stay."

John nodded. "The marines will be staying here with you. But I won't. I need to get to that Carrier over the reserve, and for that, I need that Scarab that's been giving us trouble here."

The Lieutenant nodded. "We've got a plan to take it down. I'll elaborate once we get to the roof. Ah, here we are."

They arrived at the F.O.B, which used to be a bank before the Covenant attacked the city. They entered, and the Lieutenant gestured down the hallway. "We've stored our ammo and surplus weapons in the Vault. Take what you need, then meet me on the roof. I've got the details of the plan up there." she turned to the Sergeant that had accompanied her, who was talking with another marine. "Banks, escort the Chief to the Armory, and prepare a group of volunteers, eight max. Perez, make sure the Marines that accompanied the Chief are fed and rested."

Both men nodded, and got to their tasks. The Lieutenant went to the stairs, and got out of John's eyesight. Banks led him to the vaults.

Sam would have been pleased. The armory was filled up with weapons: Rocket Launchers, grenades, Rifles, Pistols, you name it. All with plenty of the appropriate ammunition. John put his Carbine and the stolen rounds for it down in a corner, and grabbed a Shotgun, a Battle Rifle and a Rocket Launcher. Banks geared up as well, taking an Assault Rifle and a M6C Pistol, and added all the clips to his belt that he could carry. Banks then led him up the stairs, and stopped just at the end of the stairs. "El-Tee is just outside, Sir."

John nodded in thanks, and opened the door. The Lieutenant stood outside, standing near a table set at the roof's edge. She had a few papers laying atop it, an old map of New Mombasa the most prominent and largest among them. A coffee-cup and a DMR along with it's ammo clips were being used as paperweights, as it was very windy. She was looking at a photo she had on her personal datapad.

John walked over, and glanced at the datapad. It was a family picture of her, along with what seemed to be her family. She stood alongside a man bearing some resemblance to her, and her parents in the background. They were on a beach, as a palm tree could be seen in the background, along with an ocean.

It was unprofessional to take photos like that with you, and a violation of military protocol. John was about to criticize her for bringing such personal objects to a combat zone, he recognized something. He didn't know what ultimately gave it away, but he suddenly recognized the man standing next to her.

It was him.

This was a childhood photo of him. And his parents. And his twin sister.

He suddenly remembered: It was a day he and his parents had been on a short holiday to Earth, and his twin sister had walked out into the ocean too far, and with her not being very good at swimming yet, he had swum into the water too get her back. His Parents had been worried, but in the end, the day was uneventful. At the end of their day at the beach, a stranger had offered to take a photo of them, and had subsequently given it to them. This was that picture.

John looked at her. Yes, she just looked like her. He briefly considered telling her the truth: that her older twin-brother was alive, and that he was here right now. She would be happy, right?

No, he realized. She likely had put that part behind her, and it would just be painful for her if that old wound would be opened up. If she knew that Humanity was using child soldiers to win it's fights, she would also be demoralized, along with the troops. Besides, it was also a major breach of ONI protocol, and word of it would spread.

No. as much as he wanted to tell her, he would remain silent for now.

But the Lieutenant seemed lost in her thoughts, as she still hadn't noticed John. She might have moved beyond the pain of her brother's death, she still seemed to remember him.

After a moment, he decided to break her glance down memory lane, and he saluted. "Ma'am. Spartan 117, reporting."

she looked up from her datapad, and returned his salute. She then motioned him over. "Over here. I've managed to put a plan together along with Banks and a few others."

she pointed at the map, with a line going across it, with the word 'Scarab' scribbled next to it. John noted that it went in 2 circles, one in Old Mombasa, one in New Mombasa, and that the two circles were connected by a single line: over the Bridge John had crossed barely half an hour earlier. The one that connected the old city to the new center.

"You've figured out the Scarab's patrol route." Cortana said in amazement.

"Yes." the Lieutenant said. "Banks noticed it went through the same street multiple times, and we drew up it's patrol route. It helped the AI of the UNSC Say My Name offered us footage of how the Scarab walked across the city since landfall. But we noticed something." she pointed at a particular spot in New Mombasa.

"There's a small canal here that leads into a drop of 150 meters. One the Scarab can't survive. If we can manage to lure it into the canal, we can trap it, kill the crew, and take over."

John nodded. "I'll need a Squad of marines, for fire support."

the Lieutenant nodded. "That's what Banks is doing right now. I've contacted Johnson by the way. His gift will be deployed near the entrance to that Canal, and draw the Scarab's attention. We will lead it onwards, while you lead your team onto the Scarab, and take control from the inside."

John nodded. "Let's go then." he said. "Cortana, once we're inside, can you gain control of it?"

"A Protos?" Cortana asked. "Maybe. It's controlled by Elites instead of Hunter-worms, but that doesn't guarantee I can hack its systems. Manual control by you, however, is easier to achieve. And success is guaranteed."

John nodded. "Then I'll drive it myself. If Fred and Kelly can do it, then so can I."

"Unless you have anything to add," the Lieutenant said "I'll make sure the volunteers are equipped for the job."

John nodded, and followed her downstairs. They entered the main hall of the bank, and Banks was talking with a small group of Marines, briefing them on the plan. The group turned as one as the Lieutenant approached. John saw, to his slight surprise, that Stacker, Wilson and Dubbo were among the group, as well as the one the Lieutenant had called Perez. Banks stepped forward. "Ma'am, Sir. These are the volunteers. We all are Combat ready, everyone has been briefed and accepted the odds."

"Good work, Nicholas." the Lieutenant said. She pointed at three of them. "You three, you're with me. We will play bait. Everyone else, you're with the Chief. You will aid him in hijacking it, and will accompany him until he no longer has use of the Scarab." she turned to one of the marines. "Michelson, you are in charge until I return or someone of higher rank comes along."

the man in question nodded. "Don't worry, Ma'am. I'll keep the bank safe from robbers."

the Lieutenant laughed. "Glad to hear it. Just keep some cookies for Nicholas, or he'll complain about it until hell freezes over."

most of the marines present laughed, including Nicholas Banks. They fell silent soon after. "Everyone ready?" she asked.

"Ready." everyone said. John nodded.

"Good." the lieutenant said, raising her DMR. "Then let's go kick some ass."

* * *

canal, New Mombasa, Kenya, East-Africa, Earth.

Wilson stood alongside Dubbo as they waited for Johnson's gift. He had no idea what Johnson's gift would be, but it had to arrive soon. The Scarab was only fifteen minutes out, and while Lieutenant Mattock and her people were in position, the plan would fail if there was nothing to draw it's attention.

He then heard a lot of steps, like someone running towards them. He and Dubbo raised their rifles, and the others soon did likewise. He stepped to the corner from which it was coming from. When he glanced around then corner, he was shocked. And ecstatic.

Lena was running across the street, wearing a bandolier of grenades across her shoulder. On the bandolier were a lot of ammo clips strapped. She still wore her knuckle dusters and chains, like her adoptive father did. And in her hands was a Silenced SMG. Where in hell she had found one he didn't know. But at that moment, he didn't care. He whistled sharply, and she immediately turned to him. After a moment of surprise, she immediately ran for him, stopping only a few moments to make sure the area behind her was secure. While she still forgot a few times to check for snipers on rooftops, he saw she was definitely learning from her Father.

She ran around the corner, and made her way to Dubbo and the others. Wilson made sure the area was still secure, then made his own way to the group. Dubbo, Stacker and the Master Chief looked in surprise as Lena approached.

"Where in Hell did you come from?" Stacker asked. "And where did you find a Silenced SMG?"

"North side of New Mombasa." she answered curtly. "Our block was attacked, and Michelle was killed as I escaped. She bought me time to get out of that area, as the Covenant invaded that area. I managed to make my way to the NMPD Precinct, and saw it had been abandoned. I found an armory filled with weapons, and scavenged a bit. I've been wandering around ever since, trying to find a means of transportation that doesn't involve being close to ugly aliens."

Dubbo whistled. "North was invaded six hours ago. And you managed to survive this long?"

"I'm Wilson's daughter, ain't I?" Lena asked, amused.

The Chief nodded. "Johnson is on his way with a pelican to deliver a 'gift'. As soon as he arrives, you get aboard, and out of this city?" Lena nodded.

Wilson looked up, as he heard the Pelican approaching. "Speak of the devil..."

"...and he shall appear." Johnson finished over his com. "I've had to pull quite a few strings to get this here, Chief. Can you please pay cash?"

"No." Stacker called. "But we found a child. Goes by the name Lena Wilson. Can you accept that?"

Johnson was silent for a moment. "You're kidding." he said "You've got to be."  
Lena grabbed a stolen, modified headset from a pocket in her jacket, and put it around her head. "No, I'm not. Can you ferry me to the central evac point for civilians? I can make my own way out from there."

"Damn." Johnson said. "That's one hell of a coincidence."

the Pelican finally flew into view, and landed in front of them. And Wilson was glad Johnson dropped this present.

A Scorpion Tank.

"Thanks for the Tank, Johnson." Cortana said amused. " _He_ never gets me anything."

The tank dropped to the ground, and the rear hatch opened. Johnson stood there, manning a machine gun turret. And he was smiling, a cigar in his mouth. "Oh, I know what the ladies like."

Lena ran to the Pelican, and glanced back only once. Then she stepped on board, and Johnson pointed her towards a seat. He then turned to Wilson. "There's a security checkpoint south of Old Mombasa. There's a transport waiting there that still takes civilians out of the area. I'll drop her off there. After she gives me the SMG."

"Let her keep it." Richard said. "It gives her an edge, and who doesn't ignore a girl holding an SMG?"

Johnson huffed. "Fine. But if ONI comes knocking about people underage having guns, I'm pointing the finger at you."

Wilson laughed. "Let them come. I have the Chief as ally."

"And they'll have to go through me as well." Dubbo said, and Wilson turned to him in surprise.

"I'm the only one that gets to beat you up." Wilson said. "And Lena of course."

"Thanks, Chips." Lena said over the com, evidently through her stolen headset.

Then the Pelican took off, and Johnson and Lena moved out of range. Wilson sat down in peace, satisfied that his daughter would find her own way out of the area.

After twelve minutes, earlier than expected, the Scarab came around the corner of a skyscraper further down the street. The Chief, already in position inside the tank, fired a single shot at the Scarab before retreating into the area of the canal. The large Scarab tried to fire at him, but only managed to hit the side of an abandoned clothing store.

The Chief exited the Scorpion tank, and he, along with the others ran into cover of multiple supports. The tank was far enough inside the canal to force the Scarab to change course, so all that needed to happen was for Lieutenant mattock to draw it's fire once the Scarab was in the area.

Of course, that was risky, as the Scarab's main weapon could rip apart a truck with it's legs, and blast pelicans out of the sky with it's main weapon.

Sure enough, it came around the corner, and fired away at the Scorpion. It took only a small part of a second of fire from it's main gun to destroy it. As arranged, Mattock fired a volley of rockets at the Scarab. It turned to them, and fired at them as they went further down the canal. The Scarab, following them, went down into the canal. Wilson, on the side with the others, ran alongside it. After a moment, as predicted, the Scarab came to a dead end. Wilson took a small walk backwards, and then ran towards the Scarab, jumping over the edge. As expected, he managed to land on the Scarab, Dubbo right behind him. Banks landed right beside him. Stacker and the Chief had already landed.

The Chief immediately went down below deck, as the Covenant seemed to still be inside. Wilson followed right behind him as he went down the ramp.

And immediately took cover, as an Ultra, two majors and five minors fired at them. Wilson pulled out a grenade, but the Chief stopped him. "It might damage the controls. Just take care of them the old-fashioned way."

Wilson nodded, and put the grenades away. He then took aim with his Battle Rifle, pointing it at a Minor's head. After a total of five bursts, it went down, the rookie forgetting to take cover. He then aimed at the next minor in line...

and saw it fall down as a new group of sustained fire concentrated on it and the Ultra. Wilson turned around.

Lieutenant Mattock and her Marines were walking in, all concentrating their fire on the officers, as Mattock fired the shot that killed the Ultra. The Chief nodded in thanks, and they advanced to the next pillar. It was the last one before they were at the controls. Soon, the Covenant were down to two Minors. One, deciding all hope was lost, charged the Chief. Wilson, along with Lieutenant Mattock, downed it's shields before it could reach him, and the Chief fired a shotgun shot at the head, killing it.

The other minor, however, had other plans. It primed a plasma grenade, and threw it at the central pillar of the Scarab tank. Stacker and Banks took the Elite down.

The grenade, however, exploded, and Wilson immediately felt the Scarab starting to sway.

"Bad News!" Cortana called out in a slightly distressed tone. "The coordinating processors for the Scarab's front legs are disabled by the grenade! They are starting to give! Get out! Now!"

No one argued, and everyone made their way to the outside of the Scarab. Before they could jump off, the Scarab fell forwards, as it's head sparked with plasma. It came to a stop a mere meter before the drop, with one of its legs hanging over the edge. The majority of the weight, however, was still in the canal, and it didn't drop.

Wilson saw that a Pelican was approaching them, hovering about ten meters away from them. In the distance, Wilson saw the Carrier was starting to pull back, passing the orbital elevator.

"That's right, you mothers!" Johnson called after it. "Run!"

"Not if we can help it, Sergeant." Commander Keyes told him over the com. "Extract the Chief and his team, then head over to Spartan 034's position. Get them all back to In Amber Clad, ASAP."

"Roger that" Johnson said, and the pelican came closer to their position. Wilson made sure he was the last one aboard. As he boarded and the hatch closed, he caught the tail-end of a conversation between Keyes, one of her officers and Hood that Johnson was listening in on.

"-Rupture of the target's bow! It's going to Jump, _inside_ the city!" the officer said.

"There's no time, Sir!" Keyes urged him.

After a slight hesitation, Hood decided to give in to the persistent Commander. "Green light. Green light to engage."

the Conversation then involved Johnson. "Sergeant, there's no time to pick up Sierra 034. Get back on board, now!"

"We're en-route, Commander!" Johnson responded. Wilson saw Johnson tap the pilot's shoulders. "Go, James. And don't spare the horses."

"Yes, Sir!" the pilot responded, and soon, he saw them enter In Amber Clad's hanger. Wilson got out, and made his way to the drop pods. As soon as they exited Slipspace, the Commander would likely deploy the ODST's for orbital drop. And he wasn't gonna miss that.

Lieutenant Mattock walked after him. "Corporal, a question."

Wilson turned, and stood at attention. "What is it, Lieutenant?"

"Can you give me a crash course about how the drop pods work? I haven't had to operate one before, but I plan to be there when the first group lands."

Wilson nodded. "Of course, Ma'am. Follow me."

the Lieutenant sighed in relief, and followed him.

 _This will be an interesting day._ Wilson thought. _Crap, with all that's been going on, it already is._

* * *

In Amber Clad sped towards the Carrier as it entered the wormhole of the Slipspace rupture. Just as the Carrier passed through, and the rupture closed, the Frigate passed through.

As the rupture closed, the shockwave from the closing wormhole engulfed the entirety of New Mombasa, and it swept vehicles away, and weakened the orbital elevator. An EMP followed it closely, and all electrical systems in the city shut down. A small crater from where the rupture took place now rested barely three kilometers from the elevator, devastating that area.

New Mombasa had been brought to ruin.

* * *

 **End so, New Mombasa is left without the Chief. but a Spartan still remains there, and in the next chapter, he will encounter a squad of replacements and odd balls.**

 **(In case the line above doesn't give it away to the more... thick-skulled of you, I will deviate from the main story here, and go on to describe the story of everyone's favorite ODST squad: Alpha nine. I'm not sure yet how many chapters it's gonna take, so I recommend you read on, until I've updated the story enough for you tto guess or I update this chapter and post it here.**

 **Good day. (I mean: I wish you a good day, It is a good day whether you want it to be or not, I feel good this day, and it's a day to be good on.)**

 **Gharst Omenlumin**


	3. Chapter 2,5: ODST

**Greetings, readers. I am back, and have produced this new Chapter. I must admit, this was a hell of a Chapter to write, and I couldn't find a true separation point to split such a large chapter. hence why it's 22.971 words long. But enough of that. You have waited patiently. I will let you read.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Halo, and the only true OC is Doc, a trooper who appears later on.**

 **Now, read.**

* * *

Halo 2: Great Schism

Chapter 2.5: ODST

Near Tayari Plaza, New Mombasa, Kenya, East-Africa, Earth.

* * *

Sam got up, as he reactivated his suit's systems. He took a brief look around, and saw that the situation wasn't good.

Sam had been fighting his way towards the Landing Zone of the Covenant Carrier, in the hopes of securing it for John and other reinforcements, and ride up into it's belly through the gravity lift, just like they had done on Halo, or on the Truth and Reconciliation to be precise. But the Carrier had moved off prematurely, and jumped while inside the atmosphere. Just like Cortana had done to get them away from Halo when they had captured the Ascendant Justice. It looked like his past was catching up again, in that regard. He wouldn't be surprised if another Halo was discovered very soon.

Sam had heard over the Com that John and a group of Marines had initially been sent to pick him up, but they had went on to the In Amber Clad without him, due to the time constrictions and the fact Sam was too distant for them to pick up easily. Sam had wished John luck over the Com, but at that precise moment, John went into the wormhole with the ship, so he doubted he had heard it.

The resulting shockwave and EMP from the closing of the Slipspace rupture had knocked even Sam off his feet, and flown him back a few blocks. His Helmet had been damaged due to the inevitable hitting of a _very_ strong wall, and while his shields and such were still operational, his transmitter was down due to the EMP. In short, he could pick up communications from others, but he couldn't respond himself. _Bummer_.

He looked up as heard a few hard sounds above him, similar to a Drone, on of their own mind you, traveling faster than the speed of sound. But instead of a Drone, Sam spotted a pair of Drop pods, headed downwards. They each crashed a few blocks from his current position, but Sam could see one of them was in trouble: the pod's hatch was damaged, and Sam could see it would crash quite violently.

It came down in a boom. The other two followed soon after. Sam decided top make his way to the damaged pod, as it was likely in the most urgent need of aid. He then heard static, followed by calls over the com channel.

"Squad, what's your status?" a female voice asked. "You still with me, Buck?"

"Yeah. Give me a second." a male voice replied.

"I hit pretty hard. My hatch won't open. How about yours?"

There sounded a crash on the channel, followed by a grunt. "Works great." the second voice replied. Sam was getting frustrated by the fact that his transmitter was down, and that he couldn't contact either of them. He wasn't sure how many others survived the drop, and these ODST's were the first ones he had encountered, even if he couldn't see them.

"Right. When you get done fooling around, I could use some help." the woman replied.

"Did I...do something wrong?" Came the man's voice again, and he sounded unsure. Sam was getting interested in this. "Because the only thing I regret about you and me? Not knowing you were a spook when we first met. I would have been a lot less charming."

Sam chuckled. This man had a good sense of humor. And Sam could tell, because he had one as well, even if he said so himself.

"That's what I miss most about you, Buck. The way your mouth was always a little faster than your brain." the woman then took on an exasperated tone. "Look, don't start about my job. We both agreed to end it."

"That was _years_ ago, Veronica! I'm... a little... fuzzy... on the... details." the man grunted. It sounded like he was trying to remove something from his drop pod that had become stuck. "You must have met a lot of other saps since then. Why pick me for this safari?"

"First, you're the best soldier I know, and second... You don't really remember, that night? What you asked me in the morning?" the woman questioned. It sounded like she really wanted him to remember.

"I remember not getting an answer..." the man said regretfully.

"Say again, Buck? You're breaking up." the woman asked.

"I said stay put! I'm on my way!" the Man said urgently. Evidently, the man had spotted a Phantom or Spirit, and was making his way to his superior. Sam raised his Rocket Launcher, which he had held on to during his flight. His Assault rifle, however, had been lost during his flight from the shockwave. Sam ignored the rest of the conversation between the ODST's in favor of finding a close-range weapon

He spotted a Silenced SMG laying on the ground, and a weapons crate containing normal SMG's. Sam picked up the silenced one, grabbed a normal one, and as many clips for both as he could carry. He also stocked up on grenades that lay beside a dead marine who had been hit in the chest.

He then headed for a large bulkhead door that separated neighborhoods during times of crisis, and managed to open it, if only briefly. He then picked up more conversations on the Com.

"Veronica, what's with all the dead Elites?" the man asked.

"What do you mean?" the woman asked.

"It's like a family feud, like they were killed by Brutes. Is there something I should know?"

"That's classified."

"Huh." the man said. Sam suspected the man would still be muttering something, though.

Still, Sam knew what was going on. Sam, like John and Linda and the others who had had frequent contact with him on Halo and the Ascendant-Justice , kept up with all of the files about Fol's debriefing that they could. One had draw Sam's slight interest: The apparent rivalry between the Elites and the Brutes. Fol had told them that Brutes and Elites hated each other, with the Elites considering the Brutes nothing more than unintelligent apes, while the Brutes wanted to inevitably take over the Elite's position in the Covenant Hierarchy. Apparently, the rivalry was getting out of hands. Or that Prophet that led them, Truth, had ordered them to, in an attempt to dispose of the Elites soon. Either way, it meant Sam had fewer foes to deal with.

He then moved on into the next area. He briefly scanned the area as he passed through. A street phone suddenly ringing startled him, and he quickly aimed to his right to check it out.

The phone, unlike the three other ones in the row, was lit, and a bit of text appeared on the touch screen below. Sam made his way towards it. It read: 'Press Ok to download city map.'

how convenient. Somehow, magically, the phone had lit up, and offered him a map of it's city. Sam was suspicious of this unexpected bit of fortune. But he took it anyway: a map would come in handy here.

In the lower right corner of his screen, a small screen appeared, and it showed his immediate area in the city. A small blink command enlarged it, and Sam was satisfied with what he had: Main city map, blueprints of buildings still available, and locations of possible weapons caches. Sam saw that he still had one block between himself and the block this Veronica had crashed into. He made a waypoint on the map to follow, and made his way there.

The map also showed the real-time location of all enemies, refreshed every second. It showed a large concentration of enemies in the block between him and the ODST. Sam counted over twenty dots. He knew Six would have let out a large string of curses right now. Or smiled, and said she liked the challenge.

Sam wondered how she was doing. She and Fol had left two days before the ceremony on Cairo station, and he didn't know where they were off to. He hadn't been able to see her since their return, as Six was immediately forced to report to Bravo 6, in Sidney. At least, that was the last Sam had heard of her. He slightly worried about her, despite his best efforts not to.

Although he hadn't managed to read everything, he had read enough to be slightly sickened by how ONI had treated her: Forced to infiltrate insurrectionist movements for Months at a time without aid or reprieve, No backup, forced to kill everyone she encountered, including unarmed children... if he hadn't encountered the horrifying things of the Covenant onslaught, he would have been horrified. But at least he had finally managed to learn her name, or at least part of it: S.E.V. Zane. From the note attached to it Sam had learned it was a nickname she had adopted herself, rather than her birth name, but it still sounded a lot like a classified ONI project.

He looked down at his hand, and noticed he had grabbed the Kukri Six had given him without realizing it. He smiled at the memories he did have of her: Her taking on Fol when she was without ammo, back at the Onager Cannon on Reach. The fight alongside her when they'd first landed on Halo. The opening up back at Alpha base. He knew that if he wanted to he would find a dozen such memories of her that he liked.

He still didn't know which one of the choices he had narrowed it down to previously he wanted the most: A friendship like a sister, or something more, like Fred and Linda had done after Allison's death.

But the conversation between the soldiers he'd overheard brought him out of his thoughts.

"Buck, Location?" the woman asked urgently.

"Almost there! What's wrong?" Buck answered with a query of his own.

"Multiple hostiles closing in on my position. Listen carefully, if I don't make it..."

"Whoa! Hang on, I'll be right there!" Buck answered pleadingly.

"Too late! They've spotted me!" the woman said, before she cut out. Sam ignored the rest, as Buck only made urges to her to hang on, and that he was on his way.

Sam sheathed he Kukri again. He knew he had to hurry now. To hell with Stealth, he'd risk it.

He opened the bulkhead door.

Beyond was a small area where the Covenant seemingly gathered to rest, as there were multiple Methane stands for the Grunts. Visible beyond were twelve Grunts, four Brutes... and four Hunters.

Crap. At this rate, he'd never make it in time.

Still, they were all shocked when they saw that a Demon was walking towards them. Sam grabbed his Rocket Launcher, and fired his four remaining Rockets at the Hunters. Head on, they were unlikely to kill them or put them down permanently. But it would buy him time as he dealt with the rest of them.

He dropped the spent launcher, and grabbed his SMG's, opening up on the closest four grunts as he did. They all fell as Sam's fire hit them in the head, exiting through the backs of their necks. He threw a grenade at a berserking Brute, slowing down it's charge and decimating it's armor. Sam tilted one SMG, the silenced one, as it clicked, indicating it was empty. Sam fired at another Brute with his other, while he reloaded the silenced one by sliding it across his side, sliding in a new clip that was attached to his hip. He slammed it into place on his thigh, and raised it, finishing the Brute off with a lucky shot through an eye-slot in its helmet.

Then took cover, as the first hunter recovered. It fired a single blast at him, but he dodged it with ease. He was, however, forced onto the defensive, as the rest of the Grunts started to gain some confidence and started concentrating their fire. Sam threw a pair of Frag grenades in their direction in order to scatter them, but he was forced to take cover again. The second hunter had recovered, and it was firing at him in tandem with the first. He had to think of something. The Methane tank he was hiding behi...

He then had an idea, and hit his head, mocking his own stupidity. _The Methane Tank! Why didn't I think of that earlier?_

He jumped from his cover, and threw his last Frag grenade at the second nearest Methane tank. The second nearest, because he had been using the nearest as cover, and still needed to take some distance.

He jumped away just as the last two hunters finally got up. The Methane tank exploded right then. It engulfed the Hunters, and the Brutes all caught fire from the massive amount of Plasma that had been running in the tank. The surviving Grunts all flew away due to the shockwave of the explosion, dying as they hit the wall with massive force. Sam didn't escape either, as his shields were instantly drained, and fire spread across hi armor. Sam immediately got up, opened a hatch on his lower arm that was new in his armor, and pressed a short sequence of two buttons. As soon as he pressed it, a few hatches opened on his armor, and carbon dioxide exited from the hatches in an instant, extinguishing the flames. Sam pressed another button on the pad on his wrist, and the flushing of carbon dioxide stopped, and the hatches closed.

Sam was really glad he had received an upgraded version of the CQB armor. This variant, like all current variations of Mjolnir armor, had received the new upgrade of an automated fire extinguishing system in case the user of said armor caught fire.

Satisfied he was out of danger from an immediate fire, he picked up his SMG's, reloaded them, and turned around.

The entire street behind him was in flames, and the surrounding buildings were covered with a sooth of ash from the flames of the explosion. The Covenant soldiers were all dead, burned up.

Sam made his way over to a corpse of a Brute, picked up a Plasma Launcher it had strapped on its back, and made his way to the end of the area. The way to the block was still clear, so Sam had no trouble getting through it, despite the debris he had created by destroying that Methane tank. He opened the door.

He exited by what seemed to be a long road, with to his right a courtyard below. He saw the pod was there, and two ODST's were standing there. They were talking, it seemed, with one of them inspecting some shrapnel embedded into the wall. He jumped down over the edge, landing on his feet. The ODST's looked at him in surprise.

"Damn." one of them said. "A Spartan. Figures."

"Shut it, Romeo." the second said. Sam recognized his voice as Buck's. "You heard the fighting a few blocks away. This Spartan actually bought us time." Buck then approached him.

"Nice of you to show up, Spartan. I'm Gunnery Sergeant Buck, Squad leader of Alpha-nine, 11th Shock troops battalion. This is my Sniper, Lance Corporal Kojo Agu. Call him-"

"Romeo." Sam finished. "I heard. What are you guys doing here?"

"Our Squad, along with dozens of others, was to be dropped on top of that Carrier, and soften her up for reinforcements." Buck said. "I'd guess you were supposed to be part of it. Anyway, during our drop, that thing jumped, and our pods malfunctioned because of that EMP. Best-case scenario: the Squad's scattered across the city. Worst-case scenario: They're all dead."

Sam nodded. Buck still seemed silent, though, like he was holding something back something.

"Something wrong, Sergeant?" Sam asked.

"Our assigned ONI Captain made us correct course at the last minute." Romeo filled in. "It probably was what saved our lives, as most of the other pods were close to the rupture. She never told us the reason we diverted, though, or what her objective was." Romeo paused. "This is her pod."

Sam could understand. The woman, who Buck likely cared for, was missing, and they didn't know their objective. They were, at the moment, without guidance.

"Did you guys have a plan before I got here, or do we make one right now?" Sam asked. "Just so I know where I can provide assistance."

Romeo turned to him. "A Spartan offering to help ODST's?" he chuckled. "Not something I see everyday. Usually it's the other way around."

"How the tables have turned." Sam said. "Still, did you guys have a plan?"

"We were planning on climbing a skyscraper." Buck said. "To link up with the B-net, because in this mess" he gestured upwards, to all the blue particles still in the air "we won't be able to reach HIGHCOM. Besides, we might be able to link up with the drones, and locate the rest of our squad through them."

"Sounds like a plan." Sam said. He then sent them copies of the map. "The NMPD headquarters seems to tower over all this stuff. Let's try that."

Buck nodded, and raised his assault rifle. "Lead the way, Spartan."

Sam nodded, and he led them back up the stairs, back the way he came. He added a few waypoints, so the others could find their way as well.

Sam really hoped the rumor that the NMPD was starting to militarize and arm up was correct.

 _After all, he needed a new Rocket Launcher._

* * *

ONI Alpha Site, New Mombasa, Kenya, East-Africa, Earth

Corporal Taylor 'Dutch' Miles sighed, as he primed the final charge on the bridge.

They had been on the ground for two hours, and they had been fighting ever since. Because he had misheard what the Captain had said during the drop, he had ended up in the damn nature reserve, farther away from the rest of the Squad than he liked. He had made his way back in a Warthog, and had fought through the city, until a marine Lieutenant had asked him to help defend a rally point to the SouthEast of the city, near the ONI building. Of course, Dutch hadn't refused her. He had defended that place for over an hour, and had only retreated when Private First Class Michael 'Mickey' Crespo, one of his squad mates, their demolitions expert and unofficial pilot, had informed him the rest of the City had been overrun when he'd passed through. He and Dutch were now on the retreat, blowing up the bridge behind them as the Covenant started closing in on them with everything they'd got: Ghosts, Specters, Revenants, Shadows, even Wraiths of both the standard and the Anti-Air variants. They sure were determined to reach the ONI building. Which was more than enough motivation for Mickey and Dutch to ensure the Covenant didn't get their hands on it.

"Dutch, head up that Watchtower." Mickey said. "The guy up there's having trouble with getting clearance to destroy the charges."

Dutch paused, aiming the Spartan Laser he had been assigned at an AA-Wraith that was getting too close. It exploded after Dutch's laser hit it in the center, making a beautiful blue flash as it did.  
"Sure thing, Mickey. Just leave some of these guys for me while I'm up there."

he headed up the ladder. Just behind the bridge and the barrier, the UNSC had dropped down a watchtower, in order to oversee the defense of this part of the ONI-owned area. As Dutch made it up top, he could see what was giving the NMPD-officer that had led them here so much trouble: the Superintendent running the city didn't want its bridge destroyed, and was refusing access to the keypad that unlocked the detonator.

"Come on, Super. Unlock the Keypad." the officer urged it.

"KEEP IT CLEAN! RESPECT PUBLIC PROPERTY!" it chimed with a jolly voice.

"If you don't let us trigger those charges, in about five minutes, your data center's going to be crawling with Covenant!" the officer retorted.

Dutch stepped over the console, and it sounded a chime. "WELCOME, ACCESS GRANTED!" it said. Dutch frowned, curious why it granted access to him, and not the cop. But he didn't think it through that much: the Covenant had to be kept from this island no matter the cost. He pushed the button.

"BRIDGE TOLL ACCEPTED. HAVE A PLEASANT TRIP." the superintendent said, as if it had a sense of humor. Dutch chuckled as he watched what happened. Mickey could be heard cheering from here.

The Bridge went up into flames, and Dutch could see that from his part until the mainland, there weren't even support pillars left standing. The Covenant soldiers and vehicles on the bridge similarly fell into the water, if they weren't too close to the charges that is. The occasional Brute and Grunt that did stand to close either went up in flames or was flown across, with none of them making it to either the mainland or the ONI-island. The vehicles that were too close all exploded, and their debris flew everywhere.

But in the distance, Dutch could see Spirits approaching, and a Phantom in the rear carrying a Wraith. He grimaced. He and the Cop made their way down the ladder, and made his way to Mickey. "Bad news, Mickey. Spirits and Phantoms headed this way, with a Wraith underslung."

"Ah, Crap." Mickey cursed. "Everyone, fall back. They're gonna land on the other side of the wall."

Mickey, Dutch, and the odd mix of Marines and New Mombasa Police officers made their way to the other side of the wall. The area beyond was a large courtyard, with a hill at the center containing the large ONI building. Dutch and Mickey made their way to the top of the hill, and took up defensive positions. Fortunately, ONI, despite it's cruelties and shenanigans, was always properly armed: The small walls and bunkers nearby all had Gun turrets on top, and the same barriers Dutch had seen at their end of the Bridge were present at the main entrance to the building. There were also a lot of ammo crates and weapons lying around. Dutch restocked on his Grenades and SMG ammunition, and made his way to the top of the hill. He then curved around, and made his way to the top of one of the structures, with an ideal position to fire on the Covenant from above. Mickey joined him, a Rocket launcher in hand and plenty of Rockets in his back-pack. Dutch turned to his teammate.

"May the best man get the most Kills." Dutch said, as he raised his Spartan Laser.

"Hah." Mickey said. "We both know that will be me."

"Just because it's your birthday today doesn't mean you get to have all the kills."

"Awww."

They then turned back to the front of the Courtyard, as three Spirits dropped in, deploying Covenant soldiers. Dutch noted that once again, the Elites seemed to be replaced by Brutes. Dutch thought of it as odd. Did they have some sort of feud, and the Brutes were winning?

But no matter. He aimed his Spartan Laser at the tank that was about to be deployed, and charged his laser. As soon as the tank hit the ground, he fired. The beam, as usual, decimated the Wraith, and it fell down into pieces.

But plenty more were still coming in, and Dutch's laser was getting low. He had seen a replacement further up the hill, but he couldn't get to it without leaving Mickey on his own. And as tough as both of them were, neither could hold off these kind of numbers indefinitely.

Mickey seemed to realize this. "Fall back, Dutch. It's getting too hot."

"Fall back." a female Marine Sergeant called out. "Everyone back to the top of the ridge!"

Dutch was very eager to comply, as he was forced to pull out his SMG. He and Mickey ran for it, and Dutch grabbed the new Spartan Laser, dropping his old one after spending the last of its charge destroying a Banshee that was starting to bombard them. He and Mickey took cover behind a small metal sign that still miraculously stood. Dutch reloaded his SMG, and stood up.

The Situation wasn't good. The Brutes were still advancing, and Dutch could make out at least two pairs of hunters being dropped off. He readied his Spartan Laser, charging it up. Fortunately for him, the Hunter he was targeting attacked a Cop that had fallen behind... and it put him in the same line as one of the other hunters.

Perfect.

He finished Charging the laser, took aim at the first Hunter's exposed midsection, and fired.

As he'd hoped, the first hunter died, the laser making such a hole that the Hunter wouldn't survive. The Laser, however, came out of the Hunter's back and continued onwards. Straight into the second Hunter, who had finished beating the cop to a pulp. The Hunter, caught unprepared as it hadn't seen the laser coming, took the shot fully in the chest, piercing it's armor and cutting through the Eels they were made out of. It stood still for a moment, in shock. Then it toppled like a felled tree. Dutch smirked.

But his silent celebration was cut short.

"We can't hold them." the marine Sergeant said. "Everyone fall back inside the building."

Dutch grunted, but got from his cover, put his Spartan Laser over his shoulder, and ran for the entrance. Mickey covered him as he jumped in. Then Mickey, seeing no one else, closed the shutters and lowered a bulkhead door. Dutch got up and made his way further inside, to the lobby. And he and Mickey were surprised.

A bunch of Cops and Marines were placing charges all over the lobby: on memorial plaques, on support columns. Crap, there was even one _inside_ the Elevator shaft.

"Hurry up, men! Check those charges!" an NMPD Sergeant urged.

"Wait, what?" Mickey asked, confused. " _More_ explosives?"

"Yeah, what gives?" Dutch asked. "I thought we were supposed to protect this place?"

"I have orders to deny enemy access to all classified data housed in this facility." the Sergeant said, irritated. "You don't like it, jump your butts back into orbit!"

"The only thing I don't like" Mickey retorted. "is that our asses are currently inside this giant building that's converted into one big bomb, and that one wrong shot could blow it all up."

The Sergeant nodded. "Yeah, that's the only downside. But we should be able to hold them off long enough for pick-up to arrive."

Mickey nodded, and he took position behind the only turret in the room. Dutch took position at the elevator, and he and all marines not busy placing more charges in the building waited.

It was silent for a long time. Dutch was sure the Covenant would have breached those doors by now.

Then he got an idea. He activated his VISR-systems for a moment. Under these circumstances, with it being the middle of the day with no darkness at all, it would be of less use than usual. But if his suspicions were correct...

They were. Eight Brute Stalkers were making their way towards them, silently creeping up on them. Dutch saw, to his great surprise, that they carried Shotguns.

Human built shotguns.

Dutch threw a grenade at them in anger, and fired his SMG at the nearest. He hit it in the face, and after a short burst, it finally died. The other seven, now exposed, turned to Dutch. They raised their weapons at Dutch. But Mickey and the others, now aware of the Threat, all opened fire on the Brutes, taking them down without trouble. Dutch saw one go down from Mickey's turret fire, and another die as a Grenade was thrown at it, and it exploded in the Brute's face. Dutch then turned to another, who had realized Dutch was still there. He grabbed the Brute's shotgun before the thing could aim it at him, and tried to turn it away from him. Dutch knew it was stronger, of course, but his armor wouldn't last against a full blast from a shotgun. Not at this range.

The Brute suddenly let go, and it fell down, its expression one of intense pain. Dutch saw the NMPD Lieutenant from earlier standing there, his Shotgun smoking. He aimed it at the Brute's face, and fired at it. The head practically exploded, the pellets ripping it apart.

Dutch hear a whir, and looked up. The elevator that would take them to the roof was finally arriving. Dutch briefly looked around, saw the last of the Brutes fall due to Mickey firing a rocket at it, and made his way to the elevator doors. He saw the Marines and cops, five of which were left, gather there as well. As the Elevator arrived, an NMPD officer urged them in. "Everybody on the elevator. There are enough charges here to blow this building _twice_."

Mickey nodded. "Alright, that's it. Transfer the detonation codes to my COM. If anyone's takin' this place out, it's gonna be me."

the Cop nodded. "Sure thing, hell-jumper. The evac bird's gonna meet us on the roof, so be-"

he suddenly stopped, as he heard something weird noise he didn't recognize. Dutch and Mickey, however, recognized it immediately.

The sound of approaching Drones. The Covenant insect kind.

Dutch pulled the man out of the way, and raised his SMG. The others all raised their weapons as well. The drones appeared quickly, putting them under a hell lot of fire.

"Where the hell did these buggers come from?" Dutch asked to the cop, who had taken cover next to him. Dutch saw two of the Marines fall as they were hit by a large amount of Plasma fire, and a third was lifted away by a pair of Drones. That left Mickey, one Marine and the NMPD Sergeant. And the cop next to Dutch of course

"Underground tunnels are filled with the damn things!" the cop answered.

"Finally, a good reason to blow this place up!" Mickey quipped. They fired for a few more seconds, before the Elevator shaft narrowed, and the Buggers couldn't fit in any longer. Dutch, glad for the reprieve, reloaded his SMG, and moved to stand near the exit to the roof. As soon as the doors opened, Dutch moved out, followed by the Cop, the NMPD-sergeant, the female marine from the courtyard, and Mickey bringing up the rear. They silently made their way to the roof. As they made their way to the outside, Dutch's heart skipped a beat.

A Brute Chieftain was present, along with four Brute Rangers. They were unaware of them, though. _Lucky us._

Dutch raised his SMG, and moved on one of the t

Rangers. Mickey grabbed his Rocket Launcher, and raised it at the Brute Chieftain. As soon as Mickey fired, it turned around. The rocket hit it straight in the face, and it flew backwards from the explosion. Over the roof's edge. Dutch didn't go and look if it fell the entire way.

He stuck the Ranger closest to him with a Plasma grenade, as it was turned away to fire at Mickey. Dutch then turned to fire on another, as the first exploded. It's jetpack blew, and it was sent flying. It hit the roof underneath a bench.

The other Rangers, Dutch saw, had more wit: they kept moving, jumping from one place to another. A lucky shot from a Carbine hit the NMPD-sergeant in the head, killing him. The Marine was lifted into the air by the last, and dropped on over the edge of the roof. Mickey fired a rocket at it in retaliation, and it went up in smoke.

The one Dutch was currently firing on tried to flank him, using the pillars as cover. Dutch sent a Frag-grenade to where he knew it would inevitably end up, and waited. He was satisfied that the Brute stepped on it as it blew, and its leg was ripped off, and it's face mutilated by the Shrapnel. Dutch wanted to let it lay where it was and let it suffer, but he knew it would try to get up and come after them if he didn't. He shot it in the head with his SMG, and put it out of it's misery.

He then came from his hiding spot, and looked round. Things didn't look good: only he and Mickey were left standing. The Cop had been hit by a stray round of Spiker fire, and had bled out as they'd fought. Dutch grimaced.

Then he looked up, and saw a Pelican flying in. it had some white paint on it, including the characters NMPD on its side. And Dutch saw it was loaded up with ammo, with some crates even underslung where a Pelican usually carried a Warthog. He and Mickey made their way on board as it landed, and soon they were airborne. Dutch took a closer look at the ammunition, and reared back: this was all heavy weapons ammunition: Rockets and Rocket Launchers, Spartan Lasers, Gun turrets, and even a crate full of Rocket turrets. He looked at Mickey as he sat down. "How come this Pelican has so much weapons? This is a police Pelican, not an ONI Convoy."

"Commissioner Kinsler has been militarizing the Police here." a cop said, coming out of the cockpit. "He has been abusing New Mombasa's privilege as one of the seven Tether cities for this. I heard he's dead, though, so that should stop."

Dutch nodded, and wanted to sleep for a minute. The cop, however, brought him news that made him stay awake.

"Hey, any of you know a Gunnery Sergeant Buck?"

"Sure do." Mickey said enthusiastically.

"patching him through." the cop said.

Sure enough, the instant the cop said this, his Sergeant's voice came over the com. "Glad you boys are safe and sound."

"likewise, gunny." Dutch said, relieved. So at least some others had survived. "You need a pick-up?"

"As long as you're offering." Buck answered. "We're in the police HQ."

"Can you take us there?" Dutch asked the cop. He didn't know if they were on an unknown mission or not.

"Affirmative." the cop said.

"Alright. Meet you up top." Buck said. "Oh, and you wouldn't believe who I came across."

"It's Romeo, isn't it?" Mickey asked.

"Screw you, Mickey." Romeo said, irritated. "You'll miss me when I'm gone."

"While you're right, Mickey, that wasn't who I was referring to."

"Oh?" Dutch asked. Now he was getting curious.

Who came over the com next shocked him.

"Sierra 034 here. I'm traveling with your Sergeant. Mind if I come along?"

"Sure thing, Spartan." Mickey said, surprised. "as long as you bring the pizza."

"I already ate it. Sorry."

Dutch laughed. Mickey tapped his shoulder. "Buck, I'm sending you a feed. Might cheer up your day." Mickey said, holding up three fingers.

"What are you sending?" Buck asked.

As Mickey counted down, at zero, he triggered all the explosives inside the building. The walls crumbled, and flames spewed from the sides. Dutch also saw some debris that fell down breached the dam surrounding the island, flooding the Courtyard.

Dutch heard the Spartan laughing over the com. "I'll grant it to you: You've got taste."

"Thanks." Mickey said. "This day isn't turning out to be so bad after all, huh?"

Dutch laughed. "Heh."

they made their way over to the Police HQ, ready to pick Buck up.

* * *

Police HQ, New Mombasa, Kenya, East-Africa, Earth.

Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck raised his assault rifle, as the Spartan kicked down the door that led to the rooftop Mickey and Dutch would pick them up from. He covered the right corner while Romeo took the left one, with the Spartan covering the front. After a moment, the Spartan called out. He had found a functioning Transmitter for his helmet on the way, so he could communicate with them if need be.

"Clear on visual and motion tracker. You guys get anything on VISR?" he asked.

Buck briefly toggled to check. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

they moved forward, onto the landing pad. Buck tried to raise the final two members of his team again, as he'd been trying to ever since they got above the thick mist of particles that covered the city. It, for some reason, blocked coms. "Hey, Rookie, you there? Respond. That's an order. Captain? Veronica? You there?"

"Oh, give it up Gunny." Romeo said exasperatedly. "Even if he's still alive, he's lost in that soup. Our coms can't cut through that."

"Oh, give up, huh? What if it were you down there?" Buck asked.

"Just saying." Romeo said, as he shrugged. "I ain't dead."

Buck sighed. "You're a real piece of work, Romeo."

"And I thought that was what made you like him so much." The Spartan joked.

Buck chuckled. After about two hours of travel, they had finally opened up a bit to each other, in the sense the Spartan sometimes joined in on Buck and Romeo's conversations. And Buck, in turn, started to as for his opinion more often. He had found out the hard way that this Spartan was one that had a sense of humor. He would fit in fine here.

"Yeah. But I can't help but want to kick him in the nuts every so often."

"I know the feeling." Sam said. "But if you hold it in for now, you can throw him at the Grunts later."

"You guys know I can still hear you, right?" Romeo called over.

"Yes, Julia, we know." Sam said, giving Romeo his odd nickname, inspired by the old play of William Shakespeare. It irritated Romeo to no end.  
"How many times have I asked you to stop with that?" Romeo said annoyingly.

"By now? 73 times." Sam said.

Buck wanted to join in on it, but then he heard Dutch and Mickey arriving. He looked behind Romeo, and saw a Black-and-White Pelican arriving. It turned, so its passenger entryway was towards them. Mickey stood there, holding his hand out to greet them.

"Welcome aboard, Ladies. First stop: anywhere but here."

Buck wanted to step on, but suddenly the Spartan took a step back. "Banshees, three o'clock!" he called out.

Buck cursed. Indeed, a pair of Banshees was swooping in on them. They fired on the Pelican, hitting the Starboard front engine.

"We're losing her! Watch out!" Dutch said, as the Pelican started to spin away from them, counter-clockwise around the building. Buck and Romeo opened fire on it, but the Spartan just moved back inside. After the Banshees had reached the other side of the building and were out of their firing range, Buck turned to the Spartan. "And where are you going?" Buck asked.

"Back inside, to the other side of the building." the Spartan answered. "In pursuit of the Pelican. Alive or dead, I'm getting them out."

Buck nodded. "Fair enough." they made their way inside. It was a short walk to the other side of the building, as the Spartan had cleared out all the Covenant on the roof. And inside the rest of the building, for that matter. After a short while, halfway there, they finally got a message from Dutch.

"We're down, gunny. On a rooftop North-East of your location."

"Stay put, Dutch." Buck said. "We're on our way to you."

they finally made it to the other side. They could see the Pelican: the engines were a flaming wreck, but it otherwise seemed intact. The others should all have survived. The cargo it had been carrying was thrown across their roof. There was, however, no way across.

"Dutch, we're on the roof opposite yours. Can you see us."

after a moment, Mickey called out. "I see you guys. Don't worry, I'm already busy making a bridge."

"Mickey, does making a bridge involve blowing part of the building off so it lands on our pad?" Romeo asked. "Because if it does, I want to take some distance."

"Don't worry, Romeo." Dutch said. "This is a less violent solution."

after a moment, Buck saw what they meant: a construction crane carrying some girders moved, and it turned towards them. It stopped between them and the roof with the Pelican on it. Romeo looked down as it stopped. "That's the bridge? You've got to be kidding me."

"What, you afraid of heights?" the Spartan asked. "Want me to carry you?"

"Never." Romeo said, and he jumped onto the Girders first. He sprinted his way across, and jumped down towards his teammates. Buck went next, and he saw the Spartan jump on behind him. The bridge swayed due to the weight of the Spartan.

"What did you eat?" Buck asked jokingly. "This bridge might collapse just because you make a wrong step with all that weight."

"Yeah, I ate a few Brutes too many for Breakfast up at Cairo." he answered back jokingly. "You should try it sometime. Don't overcook them, though."

"Did the Spartan just joke?" Mickey asked over the com.

"Yes. Spartans are social too, you know. We're merely selective in who we joke around with."

there was a short silence. Buck jumped off, and he saw Sam make a few steps back. Buck somehow had a feeling he knew what it would do, and stepped back.

The Spartan then sprinted forward, and jumped as his feet hit the edge. He landed on the platform. The girders of the bridge, swaying by the weight of the Spartan all being on one side, slid out of their carriage, and fell down into the streets below.

The Spartan did a mock bow. He then moved to the cargo, loading up on weapons. Buck moved to Dutch. "What's our situation?" he asked.

"Bird's wasted." Dutch answered. "Lost the Pilots on impact. Rest of us are OK."

"Not for long." Mickey said. "Banshees inbound."

"Why am I not surprised?" Romeo asked, as he climbed back onto the crane that had held their bridge, and took up a Sniper position at a small platform halfway up to the top of it.

Buck moved to one of the turrets Mickey and Dutch had set up, and scanned the skies. Indeed, a swarm of Banshees was making its way towards them, along with some Phantoms.

The Spartan emerged from the Cargo crates, and Buck looked on for a moment in wonder: every centimeter of his armor was covered in at least one ammo clip, grenade or weapon. He carried SMG's on his hips, had a Rocket Launcher on his back alongside a Battle Rifle, a Shotgun hanging from his hip, and a turret in one hand and a missile pod in the other, the front ends suspended from a strap wrapped around his neck. He turned to Buck. "You guys keep the Banshees of us. I'll handle the infantry they'll deploy."

Buck nodded, and turned back to his task at hand. He looked through the sights of the Missile pod he manned, and fired at a Banshee. The missile, locking on to the Banshee's thruster emissions, hit it in the rear, and it fell into pieces. He kept this up for several minutes, with him and a Cop survivor shooting down banshees from missile pods, Dutch and Mickey shooting down enemies with their Spartan Laser and Rocket Launcher respectively, and Romeo firing at the occupants of the incoming Phantoms, often hitting the Grunts manning the turrets. Sam killed any that managed to jump out, the missiles decimating the Brutes while the turret he'd recovered tearing the Grunts apart. Buck saw, minute by minute, the tide lesson.

"Pour it on, Boys!" he called. "We're almost through!"

he saw, from the corner of his eye, Romeo jump down from his perch, putting his Sniper Rifle on his back. He seemed to be out of ammo for it, as he looked through the crates for a new weapon.

After a moment, the Banshees ceased to attack them, and only one Phantom remained. Buck looked a bit closer at it.

"Only one more Phantom, Gunny." Dutch said, stating the obvious.

Then he recognized the occupant. And his heart spiked. "Look out! Chieftain!" he called out. Immediately Dutch and Mickey dropped their weapons in order to gain mobility, and Romeo came out of the deathtrap of cargo crates. The cop, however, remained at his turret, firing on the Phantom. Buck readied his Assault Rifle, and turned to the underside hatch.

The Brute jumped out, immediately striking with his hammer at the Cop. He went flying across the roof, screaming as he went. Buck, Dutch and Mickey opened fire on it, but it ignored them.

Instead, it made its way to Romeo, who finally managed to load a new clip into his Sniper rifle. He managed to fire two rounds before the Chieftain knocked him down with his hammer. The shockwave of it sends him into a support column, and he falls into a sitting position. The Brute raises the bladed end of the Hammer, and tries to bring it down on Romeo. He manages to throw his Sniper rifle between it and him, and scuffle out of the way. The blade misses him by a mere inch. The Brute raises his hammer again, preparing to finish off the defenseless ODST, when Buck sees the most shocking thing of the day happen.

The Spartan jumps up from the area below where he had been fighting the infantry, and rams the Brute with a charge. It drops the hammer, and both fall over the edge due to the Spartan's momentum. Buck and the others rush over to look.

The Spartan and the Chieftain landed back down in in said area where the former had been fighting, each on their backs. The Spartan got up first, and raised his hands in a boxing stance. The brute, after getting up, went berserk and charged him. It raised its hands, trying to hammer them into the Spartan's head. The Spartan caught them, moved them to the side, and gave him a head-butt. The Chieftain reeled back in pain, but quickly tried to charge again. The Spartan met it with one of his own, and caught the Chieftain's hands again. They each tried to push the other, as behind both of them, there was an edge over the roof, and Buck had seen it dropped down the side of the building, off the roof.

He decided to help out, by dropping down from the pad he was on, and landing on the Chieftain's back. It swayed a bit because of it, but since the Spartan still had its hands in a crushing grip, it couldn't do much against it. Buck grabbed his combat knife, and stabbed it down into the Brute's neck. It gurgled and howled, and Buck jumped off, taking his knife with him. The Spartan, no longer meeting resistance from the Brute, let go and lifted it up over his head, one hand holding its shoulder, the other its waist. He then reared it back, and threw it off the roof. Literally. Buck whistled. "Nice toss."

"Home run for Spartan-town." Romeo called from above. "I'm sold: you Spartans are worth your budget."

the Spartan nodded, grabbed the weapons he had dropped, and he and Buck made their way back up.

"Everyone alright?" Buck asked.

"Fine." Romeo answered. "I sure could use a weapon, though."

as if in response, the Spartan dropped his turrets, grabbed the Battle Rifle from his back, and handed it to Romeo, along with the clips for the weapon. Romeo, after a moment's hesitation, took them and nodded. "Thanks."

Mickey looked at the Wreck of the Pelican. "So. How do we get out of here again? Because even I can't fly that wreck anymore."

"That's alright." Buck said. "I know another way."

"Where?" the Spartan asked.

"Train tunnels." Buck said. "They ran underground, up to the old city. We're gonna find one of the tunnels, walk on outta here. Unless anyone has a better plan?"

"Nope." Dutch said. "Lead the way, Gunny."

Buck went to the elevator leading down the building, and the others followed. Buck noticed the Spartan had grabbed the machine gun turret again, loaded it up on ammunition while they were talking, and had swung it across his back. And he was walking casually with it, like it weighed nothing at all. Buck could only imagine what he would do with that kind of strength.

* * *

Near Kikowani Station, New Mombasa, Kenya, East-Africa, Earth.

Sam walked on with his odd bunch of ODSt's, making their way to the nearest Train Station, Kikowani station. He briefly looked over his shoulder every now and then, expecting trouble. On the city floor, they had encountered nearly no resistance ever since exiting the building, which meant they were either hiding, stalking them or retreating. He couldn't imagine why the Brutes would hide, and if they were Stalking them, they were bound to run into an ambush. And the only reason the Brutes had to retreat at this point is that they were planning to guess the city. None of those options amused him. He found himself grabbing the Kukri again.

It had become something of a good-luck charm to him, as it had saved him quite a few times today. At the Cairo, in the city, even as they had secured the NMPD HQ, it had aided him. He had run out of ammo against a Brute Captain, and the only reason it hadn't was because he had managed to throw it into the head of the Brute. He made a note to thank Six for giving it to him as a charm.

Buck, the only one he truly managed to get sociable with, walked over to him, so they walked side by side. "Nice knife." he said. "Where'd you get it?"

"Team mate." he answered. "She gave it as a gift last time we parted, and it has been a good luck charm ever since."

"Good friend of yours, huh? And where is she now?" Buck asked. Sam detected no hostility from him whatsoever, unlike most ODST's. A bit like Wilson, actually, he had no true quarrel with Spartans. He was genuinely curious.

"I don't know." Sam said. "She left with an... ally, some time ago. I'm not privy to the status of her mission."

"I see." Buck said. "For what it's worth, I hope she's alive. Somewhere."

Sam nodded. "You and me both, Buck." he paused, considering what he was about to do. "But still, I think I might see her again one day."

Buck nodded. "I know that feeling. I feel the same way about Veronica. Wherever she is. Ah, we're here."

indeed, around the corner, Sam could see they were getting close to the station. Sam could see the entrance to the underground stations at the end of the street. Once down there, all they had to do was enter one of the tunnels and continue walking. Piece of cake.

Of course, as they made their way down, it proved that life never made things easy.

"Aw, crap." Romeo uttered, and most agreed. Sam just looked around.

The tunnels below them were flooded, and the only thing above water were the terminals and a few larger tunnels that were blocked off by bulkhead doors. Sam could find no way out beside the bulkhead.

"This means we're screwed, right?" Mickey asked.

Sam looked upwards, looking for anything that could help them.

A Phantom was approaching them, landing nearby. He smirked. He knew that once they heard of it, John and the others would compare his stunt to one Six would attempt to pull off. The ODST's certainly would cal him crazy.

"Not yet." he said. "Let's go. We're gonna steal that ride."

Buck was the first one to catch on. "You are really a daredevil, you know that?"

"Oh, no." Romeo said.

"Oh, dear. Not this kind of stunt again. Not like Ariel."

"Hell yes." Mickey finally said. "Wait. Do I have to fly it?"

"yes." Sam said, not turning around.

"Aw, crap." Mickey said, echoing Romeo's curse from a few seconds earlier. Sam noticed the Phantom had finally landed. "It's landing. Now's our chance."

everyone nodded, and they made their way to the Phantom. Sam was the first one to engage a hostile, silencing a Grunt that walked into them by crushing its skull. Buck took the next kill, silencing a Jackal by slicing its throat with his combat knife.

The next ones to spot them were the Phantom's crew, consisting of two Grunts for the turrets, and three Brutes as cockpit crew. Mickey silenced them by firing a rocket at them, killing the Grunts and one Brute while wounding the remaining two. Dutch and Romeo silenced them, firing at them with their SMG and Battle Rifle respectively. The Brutes died, hit in the head by bullets. Sam gestured at them. "Everyone on board. I'll cover you guys."

"How?" Buck asked.

"I saw a pair of parked Banshees a few meters back. I think it would be appropriate for me to take at least one, don't you think?"

Buck nodded. "Good luck. I always sucked at flying these things."

Sam nodded, and made his way to where he had seen them. Indeed, behind a small outcropping, he could see two parked banshees. He got into one, and made his way up, to rendezvous with the ODST-squad. He saw something, however, that drew his attention: A small fleet of Covenant ships flying around the Slipspace crater.

"What do you see, Spartan?" Mickey asked. "My pizza? An Ice Cream cart? A gag for Romeo?"

"More like a gag for you." Romeo muttered.

"Covenant ships, all hovering above that Slipspace crater." Sam answered. "Don't know what they're doing there."

"I'd bet the Captain would have known." Mickey said.

"Yeah. I'd bet you're right." Buck said.

Sam ignored Buck's tone about it for the moment, and sped towards the bulkhead. He landed, and made his way over to a switch. He pressed it, hoping what he was planning to do would work.

Fortunately, it did. The bulkhead door lifted upwards, and they could fly through. Sam got back into his Banshee, and made his way down the tunnel, towards the exit. Mickey followed behind with the others in the Phantom.

They exited near another area similar to the one they just left: a junction of multiple train tunnels, all of them flooded. What stood between Sam and the Cargo bulkhead, though, made him immediately fly between buildings to avoid its fire.

"Uh, troopers?" he said. "I've got bad news."

"What? You really are gonna make us walk out of this city?" Romeo asked.

"We've got a Deutoros-type Scarab, right by our exit." Sam answered calmly.

"Ah. This is the best mission ever." Romeo said, irritated.

Sam, ignoring anything said afterwards, went into the same drill he'd run with the other Spartan-II's before the Fall of Reach: Fire at the legs to immobilize it, destroy the rear, and hit the power core inside it's back. A minute later, the Scarab was a smoldering wreck.

"Oorah, Spartan!" Dutch said. "Let it burn!"

"Let's head into the tunnel instead." Sam said. "Another might show up to take it's place."

Mickey, agreeing with Sam, moved the dropship inside the tunnel. It was a free ride from there, with no one to oppose them. As they hit open water, sam hovered alongside the Phantom, and jumped inside the open troop bay. He looked around. "Keep heading straight, Mickey." he said. "Everyone alright?" he asked.

"Just glad we didn't go through with Buck's plan." Romeo said, gesturing at the tunnel exits from the turret he was manning. "look at those tunnels. Ones that aren't flooded are probably packed with buggers. Hell, I wouldn't go down there even if _you_ ordered me to."

Sam nodded. He moved to the side of the troop bay, observing the view. Just when he was about to close the hatches so they could make for one of the platform, Buck spoke up. "Mickey, turn around." Find us a safe place to set us down."

everyone in the troop bay turned to him. "What?" Mickey asked over the com. "Why?"

"I lost something." Buck said. Sam could hear him mutter 'now I know where to find her'. So he had an idea where Veronica was. Sam could sympathize, but they still had orders. They were to regroup with HIGHCOM, and receive further in-

wait. They didn't. They had been in the dark ever since that Carrier jumped over five hours ago. They were just going by their own initiative.

No, Sam would help Buck. Because he knew Buck would help him if Six were down there.

He respected the man enough for at least that.

* * *

Mombasa Streets, New Mombasa, Kenya, East-Africa, Earth

Jonathan Dalton slowly woke up. He looked around, slightly confused. He checked where he was.

Ok, he was in his pod. It was damaged, as the viewport was cracked. Then he remembered:

He was supposed to drop onto that Carrier with the rest of his Squad, but it had jumped prematurely. Because Mickey's pod had slammed into the front of his own, he had careened off in an entirely different direction than the rest of his squad, and as he crashed, he had slipped into unconsciousness. He looked at his mission timer. He grimaced.

Six hours had passed since they had dropped. It was midnight by now, or a little before it. He looked to his left.

The photo of his passed-away sister, Jennifer, was still there. He grabbed it, pocketed it, and grabbed his Silenced SMG. He hit the bolts that released the hatch of his pod, and he saw as it fell down below. It fell further down than his pod. He looked down.

His pod had wedged itself into the side of a roof, and he was about ten meters above Street-level. A large jump. But nothing a Hell-jumper couldn't handle.

He jumped out, taking all of his useful gear with him.

He landed on the street, and he rolled to soften the impact. Still, it hurt like hell. But it seemed like he hadn't broken anything. At least nothing he minded breaking.

He looked around, checking his supplies as he went. His Silenced SMG, while useful now he was in the dark, only had five clips, and his pistol only four. He had no medical supplies, and his map wasn't up to date anymore. He needed to do something about that later on.

Then he saw a kiosk, and he went over to see it had anything useful. It had: Two med-packs he could use later on, and an MRE, Meal Ready to Eat. Being unconscious for over six hours left one hungry. He ate his rations, despite the taste, and moved on.

The Streets seemed clear. He hadn't encountered anyone for five minutes: No Covenant, No Marines, No civilians. Like the city was deserted.

Then the city came to life around him.

Next to him, car started to turn their lights on and off, barriers raised and lowered, and ATM's kept shooting out Credits and credcoins. He pocketed some of it, then noticed a sign started saying something. A sign that had been blank moments ago.

KEEP RIGHT. It now said. He looked around, looking for other options. He found none. The other streets beyond this sector were either on lockdown, with their bulkhead doors locked, or covered by Covenant shielding tech he couldn't get past. Having no choice, he followed the instructions. He rounded the right corner. More and more, the street signs showed arrows pointing him in one direction. He followed it, occasionally stopping to pick up more medical supplies and ammo from corpses.

The arrows pointed at a large door blocking off an alleyway. Before the Rookie, as he was called by his teammates due to him being the newest addition to it, could enter, though, a phone went off. He moved over to it. It read: 'Press Ok to download city map.'

Now this was handy. Not that he wasn't suspicious, of course. Nothing ever came for free, or without dangers. But he needed every advantage he could grab. He pressed OK, and downloaded the map.

It showed that the corridor beyond led towards a small clearing used as a courtyard for a living apartment. He pressed the open button, and he stepped through. As predicted, beyond lay a small courtyard of grass for a living block in the city. It was a dead end, and all the doors were locked. But that wasn't what drew the Rookie's attention.

In the center of it lay a crashed ODST Drop pod. It lay on its front, meaning whoever was inside couldn't get out. Said front also seemed to be slightly dented inwards by the crash, which suggested the occupant hadn't survived. This theory was supported by the fact that the outer shell was melted, and he saw that the chute hadn't opened, meaning the occupant had come in at an incredibly high velocity. But as he checked his Friend-or-Foe indicator, he could see someone was alive in there.

He activated his messaging system for his helmet. Ever since New Jerusalem, he rarely spoke. The events there had been too much for him. It was where his sister had died. But his former teammates, needing a way to communicate with him, had come up with an idea: they had secretly modified his helmet so he could type messages with the eye-command system, blinking at the right characters. It took a long while, but ever since that day, it had been his way of communicating with people.

( _Hello?_ ) he typed. ( _Anyone home?_ )

after a moment, his com activated.

"Thank god you're here." a Female voice said. "I'm stuck in here, and I can't get my pod open. Can you help out?"

He looked around. The pod was to heavy to turn on his own strength. He looked around.

And saw a garage.

( _Wait here. I'll be back shortly._ ) he typed.

"Not like I can go anywhere, can I?" the woman asked, a nervous tone in her voice. Evidently, she had been left alone for a long time, and she didn't like being left alone again.

( _I promise, I'll come back for you._ ) he typed.

"You'd better." the woman said, some boldness returning to her voice. "Because if you do get me out, I want to buy you a drink."

the Rookie nodded, and he moved to the Garage. He opened the door, and looked inside. There were various parts scattered around. Evidently, someone had used this extensively. In the center, however, sat a Mongoose. He smiled. If he traveled quick enough, he might be able to turn the pod if he rammed it.

( _Hang on._ ) he typed. ( _This could get rough._ )

"Rough? How?" she asked.

The Rookie didn't reply, as he drove backwards a bit, before driving towards the pod full throttle. He hit it head on and, as predicted, the pod rolled with some violence. It ended up colliding with the apartment wall. Still, it had ended up with the hatch pointed upwards. The Mongoose, however, hadn't fared as well. Its hood had come off, and he could see the engine was nearly gone. He might be able to use it, but now with his new friend on it as well.

He made his way over to the pod, and pulled the hatch off.

Inside lay an ODST, as predicted, on her back. Her right arm was pinned, having somehow ended up behind it during the crash, and it had bended towards the wall. Given how tight the confines of the pod were, it was a small . Her left arm now moved freely, but from the way she was flexing it, he guessed it had been pinned by the hatch once it had bent inward. He pulled her Assault Rifle out of the socket it sat in, and pulled her arm out. From the looks of it, it didn't see, broken to his eye. But he was no medic, so he couldn't tell for sure.

He helped the woman up. She briefly looked him down.

"So." she finally said. "After being locked up for Six hours, and being stuck inside my pod, I don't even get a Hello?"

( _Hello?_ ) he quickly typed, unsure how to react. To his relief, the woman laughed.

"No worries, mate. I don't hold a grudge against you. What's your name and rank?"

( _Lance Corporal Jonathan Dalton._ ) he typed. ( _Newest addition to my squad, though I have seen my fair share of battles. And you?_ )

"Corpsman Natalie van Kamp. Medic of my squad until the drop. Any idea of the status of our forces?" she asked.

( _City's abandoned. No one alive, hostile or friendly. Someone seems to be guiding me, though, as a set of arrows on electrical signs led me here._ )

"Electrical signs?" she asked. She then turned to look behind him. "oh, never mind. I see what you mean."

the Rookie turned to look. Indeed, a new set of arrows had appeared. He turned back to her. ( _You armed?_ )

she checked her sidearm, and held it up. "I am. Though I admit I want something bigger than this."

he nodded. ( _It'll do for now. Let's hope we come across an arms cache, though._ )

they moved on, following the arrows. As they exited the large door, the rookie transmitter her the map he had downloaded. ( _In case we get separated._ )

"Handy. Hey, isn't that an arms cache?"

she highlighted a marker on their map. To be honest with himself, he had no clue how she recognized that as an arms cache, but he decided to follow her. ( _Could be. Ladies first._ )

she depolarized her visor, and he saw her send him a glare. He noticed she had blue eyes, and a stray lock of black hair on her face. She looked to be in her middle twenties, like him. Before he could see more, she polarized it again, and she moved on, leading him to the weapons cache. After about five minutes of travel, they arrived. They came at a wide, locked, red-lighted door. He was about to ask her why she thought it was a weapons cache, when the door's light turned green, and the door rolled open. Inside, as predicted, there were racks of weapons: pistols, Battle Rifles, Assault rifles, a Sniper Rifle with the appropriate ammunition.

And a Mongoose.

( _How did you know there was an arms cache here?_ ) he asked.

"Saw this in the slums of New Alexandria as well. The Police always keep these in case the city's taken over by terrorists, and the people need weapons to defend themselves." she moved to the Sniper rifle. "I didn't think they'd have stuff as Sniper Rifles inside of those things, though."

( _Well, good luck for us._ ) the Rookie typed, grabbing a Battle Rifle and putting it on his back. Natalie also grabbed a Battle Rifle, along with the Sniper Rifle. Both stocked up on grenades. Then the Rookie took a seat on the Mongoose. ( _Care to tag along?_ ) he asked.

"Only because you ask so nicely." she answered, as she got onto the back seat. "Go on, James. And don't spare the horses." the Rookie chuckled.

They made their way back to the arrows, and followed them. After a minute, they heard a phone ring, and the Rookie stopped. He stepped towards it. It read: 'Press Ok to download Log'. Interested, he pushed it.

He and Natalie both received a notification, along with a data file. It showed the long progression of how a girl, named Sadie Endesha, managed to escape the city, along with all of the troubles on the way. Of interest, however, was one encounter that described an Engineer, as he'd learned they'd been called, defecting to Humanity, as it was seen repairing the city's superintendent. And, according to the logs, it would still be there.

"Well." Natalie said. "That was... interesting."

( _It was._ ) the Rookie typed. ( _An Engineer defecting is great news. Who knows what intel it could give us?_ )

"Maybe. But still, the ONI building above it has been blown up. Who knows if it's still alive, and not captured?"

( _I don't know. But still, it's something to think about, Nat._ )

"Call me Doc, please. It was how my team mates called me."

( _Sure thing, Doc. My team mates called me Rookie, in case you want to know._ )

"Alright... Rookie. But what do we do now?"

before he could answer, more arrows appeared, along with the text 'DESTINATION: KIKOWANI STATION'.

The Rookie and Doc looked at it for a moment, before glancing at each other. They both nodded, and the Rookie drove them there.

On the way, however, things went South.

They ran into their first Covenant patrol. And it consisted of two Rangers, two Stalkers and a War Chieftain. All Brutes. The latter fired a Fuel-Rod gun at them, and while it missed, the shockwave from the blast sent the Mongoose flying. The Rookie jumped off, landing in a roll. As he got to his feet, he noticed that the Ranger were trying to flank him. He sent a bit of suppressive fire to keep them away.

He then was forced to take cover, as the Brute stalkers appeared beside him, and they raised their Plasma Rifles at him. He made a note of the fact that these ones were colored red.

He heard the sound of a Brute Jump-pack going off again, and he scrambled to get to a better position. He was forced back, however, by the War Chieftain, who fired a few more blasts from the Fuel-Rod gun at him.

His cover was falling apart due to the blasts, and he was surrounded: A War-Chieftain keeping him pinned, and a pair of stalkers flanking him on one side, and a pair of Rangers on the other. Not the best of odds. He then remembered something:

he hadn't seen Doc fall from the Mongoose.

He took a quick look around, but she was nowhere to be seen. The Rookie only hoped that was bec-

the sound of a Sniper Rifle firing permeated through the air, and the Rookie saw one of the Stalkers fall down, its head half blown off from the Sniper round. Next, the Rookie saw one of the Rangers fall, hit in mid-air while it was jumping to get behind the Rookie. It landed in front of his feet.

He got out of his cover, grabbed the Brute's Plasma Rifle, and fired at the War-Chieftain, hoping to destroy its armor. The Armor held for a few seconds at first, but then Doc joined in on the fight, firing two shots at the head in quick succession. While the Brute didn't die, its armor was wrecked from the damage, and its ornate headdress fell off. The Rookie capitalized on this by grabbing his Battle Rifle, and firing at the Brute's head before it could fire a blast at them. He hit it between the eyes, and it fell backwards. It didn't get up.

The Rookie turned around, expecting he would have to deal with the other Ranger and Stalker.

And he was right. The Stalker was holding Doc, who had been grabbed the moment she had fired the second shot, while the Ranger was holding up it's spiker in an attempt to bring down the blades on her head.

The Rookie, on instinct, charged it, yelling in order to distract it. The Brute turned around in surprise, but quickly raised its Spiker at him, firing. The Rookie, by some sort of miracle or not he didn't know, wasn't hit, and he managed to ram it. The Brute bent over slightly from the force of it, but quickly grabbed him and threw him away, landing against a burned out car fifteen meters away in a heap. The Brute triumphantly marched over to him.

Unaware the Rookie had sticked a Spike Grenade to its ammo belt the moment he'd rammed it. It went off, and the Brute died in that instant. The Spikes, acting like Shrapnel, tore through its armor and flesh, and destroyed several vital organs. Including the heart and spine. It dropped dead.

Doc, having seen the grenade at the last instant, had put all her Strength into the effort of getting the Stalker between her and the grenade. She was partially successful, as the majority of Spikes went int o the Brute's back. The Rookie had no idea how she had found the strength to overpower a Brute, even for an instant, but he was glad she was still alive. He got up, making sure he had no injuries, and made his way over to her.

The Brute Stalker that had been holding her had fallen down on top of her, and only her head and right arm stuck out from underneath it. She turned to him as he approached.

"Get. This. Thing. Off. Of. Me." she said, irritated. The Rookie just nodded, and pushed at the corpse. After a moment, it fell off. He held out his hand, and she took it. He pulled her up.

And she immediately fell down, landing on her side. He immediately inspected her.

A pair of the Spikes had still hit her, it appeared. One had hit her chest plate, but hadn't stuck in. it had been absorbed into the Brute's body, and it didn't seem to have pierced her armor, only leaving a small indentation. But the other had hit her in her right shin, piercing the armor plate, and he could see blood coming from it. He lay her onto her back, removed one of his medpacks, and started removing her shin armor, cutting down from the hole in the bodysuit the Spike had made with his combat knife.

Doc chuckled. "Figures. The medic gets shot, and a rookie has to fix her up." she winced, as he had removed all clothing around the wound, and he had brushed around the area the Spike was in. she removed her helmet with one hand.

The Rookie, despite his curiosity, didn't look up from his work. She could bleed out here if he didn't do something. And he wouldn't allow that to happen. He wouldn't let her die.

Not like Jennifer.

She grabbed his helmet, and turned it, forcing him to look at her.

Like he'd seen when she'd depolarized her visor, she had blue eyes and black hair. It was slightly longer than regulations permitted, but not so much that it obstructed with her helmet's sealing systems in case of a vacuum. She had three scars on the side of her head, which looked like claw marks. He briefly wondered if she had suffered those from a Brute.

She briefly gestured at the wound, then at him. "Look at this. Does this look like a leg that can support my weight?"

( _You're not that heavy._ ) he typed in amusement. She chuckled.

"I appreciate the flattery, but you must face reality: I'm not going anywhere with this leg. And if you carry me, I will slow you down. Just leave me here."

( _No._ ) he typed. ( _I'm not abandoning you. You're getting out of here, and we will live. The both of us._ )

"And how do you suggest we get moving, then? I'm already losing a lot of blood, and you don't have the expertise to fix me up."

( _But you do._ ) he typed. He then opened his backpack to her, showing all the medpacks he had collected over the time he'd traveled. He had about six of them. ( _I have plenty for trial and error. And if you need Blood, I'm an universal donor._ ) he tapped his shoulder armor piece. Doc saw that his blood-type was written there: O+.

She sighed. "I'm not getting rid of you, am I?"

The Rookie just shrugged.

"Very well." she said. "Here's what you need to do."

And so, he worked for about an hour. He followed her instructions, and at the end of it, the Spike was removed, the wound was sewn up and bandaged, her uniform and armor back in place. She still couldn't stand on her own, but the Rookie had one of her arms swung across his shoulder, and with his other he held his Plasma Rifle. After making sure she didn't collapse again, he looked at her. ( _So. How did I do for someone who hasn't done such surgical procedures before in his life?_ )

"Pretty good." Doc admitted. "One day, you might become an actual medic. If we survive, that is."

( _And here I thought I was the optimist._ )

Doc laughed for a second. Then she gestured forwards. "Come on. Kikowani Station's still a few blocks away."

he nodded, and he walked with her towards it, slowly and carefully. They both each had one of their pistols out, Rookie covering the right flank, Doc covering the left. After a moment, Doc broke the silence.

"Can I ask you a question?" the Rookie nodded, seeing no harm in it.

"Why do you talk like this, and not with your mouth? I noticed your com's still intact, so that can't be it."

the Rookie was silent for a few moments. They turned into minutes, as they limbed towards Kikowani. After a moment, Doc sighed. "Very well. If you don't want to-"

( _Her name was Jennifer._ ) he typed, silencing her. She looked at him. The Rookie limbed over to the cover of another Kiosk, and set her down inside it. He raided its medpacks, and then continued.

( _She was my sister. She was on vacation on New Jerusalem, when the Covenant attacked it. I was deployed on a Marathon Cruiser at the time, and they dropped me on the planet. I wasn't aware she was there as well at the time. I was tasked to secure a building, I think it was a hospital, by the way. I looked around. There was no one there. Then I entered the next room. And she lay on the ground, bleeding out.)_ he paused, depolarizing his own visor. He sat down across Doc.

( _It turned out a couple of maniacs had escaped while they were treated here during the attack, and had ravaged the place in the process. They had shot her in the leg, severing an Artery. I wasn't in time to save her._ )

he knew he was crying by this point, even if he felt as numb as ever, not feeling the tears. He removed his helmet for a moment. ( _I haven't said a word since that day. Only typing and writing._ )

Doc nodded, and removed her own helmet. "I understand. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

they both sat there for a moment, each not daring to break the silence. Then Doc put on her helmet, and tried to get up. Due to her leg injury, however, she failed miserably, resulting only in her laying on her back again. The rookie put on his own helmet, and helped her up. "We should get moving. There are bound to be more Covenant patrols."

he nodded, and they made their way to the station.

When they arrived, they noticed that the station was abandoned, and that a pair of Engineers were busy working on a small plasma coil. The Rookie noticed that one of them was a slightly different color, in that it was green rather than purple-pink. It also had more tentacles, and din't glow in the dark. The Rookie turned to look at Doc. ( _Ready to talk with floating gasbags?_ ) he asked.

"Sure, why not? They aren't supposed to be harmful anyway."

They made their way over to them, and the Rookie whistled to get their attention. Both of them turned to look, and immediately made their way over to them. The Rookie noticed the Green one lacked any form of armor or explosive harness, like the others. The green one immediately made his way to Doc, and tried to get its tentacles on her. The Rookie immediately stepped backwards, and raised his scavenged Plasma Rifle. He lowered it, however, when it signed something, and new text appeared on his own HUD.

( _Please. Let me fix her._ )

the Rookie stood in slight confusion. Was this the Engineer version of a Combat medic? He didn't know. But if he could fix her up even more than he had done himself, he wasn't going to stop it.

He holstered his Plasma rifle on his other thigh, and lowered Doc to the ground. The Engineer immediately went to work on her, removing the armor and the body suit. He watched as it worked its miracles, and while he heard the occasional gasp, he saw that her wound was actually starting to disappear due to it's work. After a minute, it floated back. And Doc managed to get up on her own accord, without falling down afterwards. She flexed her leg a bit.

"I'll be damned. It actually made me better." she said astonished. The Rookie could only nod, in similar astonishment.

He then turned to the Engineer. ( _Care to come with us? We could use your help._ ) he typed.

The Engineers floated there for a moment, before the green one nodded. ( _I can do that. Where will you take me?_ )

the Rookie didn't have an answer, but then, someone saved him, and brought him hope that the others were still alive.

"Can anyone hear me? This is Captain Veronica Dare! My beacon is active - need immediate assistance! Someone, please respond!"

Doc immediately looked up. "Captain Dare, this is Corpsman van Kamp. I'm en-route to your position. Do you copy?"

Only static answered them. The Rookie silently cursed. She must be too far underground to hear them.

The Rookie, however, still had a plan. He had Doc, he had a Medic Engineer, and he had a Captain to save. He turned to the Engineer. ( _Can you guide us to her beacon?_ ) he asked.

( _Yes._ ) it simply answered, and he moved on. Doc and the Rookie followed behind. After a moment, it entered a building, and went to the elevator. It tried opening the doors, but didn't succeed. Obviously, where its brothers could fix and use machinery, but not organic tissue, this one could only do vice versa. The Rookie and Doc pulled the door open. The elevator was further down the shaft, and only the cables holding it up were reachable. After a moment of guessing the correct distance, he jumped, catching the cable. After making sure he had a good grip, he started lowering himself. Doc followed a few seconds afterwards as soon as he had lowered himself. The green Engineer just lowered itself down the shaft, taking it all in as he went.

They went down, into the tunnels below.

* * *

Data Center, New Mombasa, Kenya, East-Africa, Earth.

Finally, after about what seemed like hours of lowering herself down the shaft, they hit the Elevator, which had stopped due to the emergency brakes kicking in. She dropped down, landing beside the Rookie, as he called himself, and looked around.

They were on Sublevel 07, which was about halfway down the entirety. She hit the receiver of her com again, as Static came across.

"-t me cornered." Captain Dare said. "I'm low on ammo. If you can hear me, I'm on Sublevel 09, near Station T-..." it faded off into static again, before she could respond. She looked at the Rookie.

"Well. Looks like we should have taken the stairs."

she knew he rolled his eyes at that. She moved around the room, and switched her Sniper rifle out for a Shotgun, as in these close confines it would be near-useless. She saw, after picking up some more ammo, that the Rookie put it on his back. She pulled it off, and put it across her own.

He was already a walking armory: He had a captured Covenant Plasma Rifle, a Silenced SMG, a pistol he'd shoved into his boot to make space, a Battle Rifle and a full belt of grenades. If he started carrying a Sniper rifle as well, he would be slowed down a lot.

"You don't need to carry everything." she said. "I can look after myself. And the pod doesn't count."

( _Aw, Come on._ ) he typed. ( _That_ does _count._ )

"Nope. But let's not waste any time here." she said, going down the hallway beyond. The Rookie, of course followed her. The Engineer that followed them brought up the rear.

They emerged into a silent hall that stretched for about a hundred meters, curving up, down, left and right as they went. They paused, as they overheard a pair of Grunts talking.

"Why Yanme'e not seal this entrance yet?" the first said. From where she was crouch, behind a desk, she could see there were three of them.

"Too busy building fancy spit-house!" the second said.

"Nah. If traitor escape, it their fault, not ours." the first said again.

She pulled out a grenade, as the Grunts seemed to be stopping their conversation. She hit the switch, and threw it. It landed right between the first two, and they flew away as it blew, their faces ripped off by the grenade. The third, however, was too far away, and survived.

"Alarm!" it yelled. "Intruders! In tunnels!"

The Rookie silenced it with his SMG, but the deed was done: the Brutes were now alerted to their presence, and they were in for a load of trouble. Doc cursed, as she aimed her Battle Rifle at the door to the end of the hallway.

They waited a minute, waiting for the Covenant response teams. That went on to become two, then five.

After seven minutes, the Rookie stood up. ( _What's keeping them? Did they already find the Captain?_ )

( _No._ ) the Engineer said. ( _They did find another Human, but it is a male, cornered near a data stack. The Jiralhanae assumed him to be the intruder._ )

Doc got up. "Guide us there, please. We don't leave people behind."

the Engineer seemed to agree, as it led them instead to a side door, instead of the main exit. They followed it for several minutes. After a while, it stopped. ( _The other doors beyond are locked. I won't come here, as the fire fight will be able to hurt me. Whistle when it's safe._ )

Doc nodded. "Sure thing. What's your name, anyway?"

( _I am called Sinks and Rises._ )

( _Well, Rises._ ) the Rookie typed. ( _Good luck. If there's trouble, whistle._ )

It nodded, and took cover behind a pillar. Doc turned to the Rookie. "Social with aliens, huh?"

( _Says the one that asked its name._ ) the Rookie said. ( _Besides, we could use someone like him._ )

"Maybe it's a she." she teased. "And it considered your words flirtations."

( _So what? Are you jealous?_ )

"Hah. Would I even make a chance with you?" she asked humorously.

( _Yes._ ) he typed, causing her to stop. ( _But we need to move. That man's not going to save himself._ )

She nodded, despite all the thoughts going across her head. S _he actually had a shot with him? That wou... bu..._

All thoughts never truly formed in her head. Why did life have to complicate matters? Making her meet an interesting man just as the planet she was on was about to be destroyed? She longed for the days when life was still simple.

Then she heard the first shots being fired, and she raised her Battle Rifle. This was so satisfying about combat: it forced you to clear your head entirely, or you risked either you or your teammates being killed.

She saw the Brutes were holding position just outside a narrow hallway, likely weary of entering a bottleneck. She heard Shotgun fire returning the fire of the Brutes, and she heard the Cop call out. "Do it, Vergil, now!"

"OBSRUCTION AHEAD! EXPECT DELAYS!" a second voice called out, similar to the voice of the Superintendent.

"I'm gonna die, you hear me!" the man responded.

She took aim at the leading Brute, a Captain. She fired three bursts, the first two breaching it's armor, and the third hitting it between the eyes as it turned around. It dropped down to the Ground, and she didn't see it get up.

The Rookie threw a Grenade at the largest bunch of the Brutes, six of them. Three died as the blast burned them. One more was also robbed of its armor due to the damage it had taken. The Rookie fired a short burst from his Battle Rifle into it, before taking cover, a Grunt pinning him down.

But she wasn't as unfortunate, and shot it in the head. She then turned to the two remaining Brutes, firing at them. Their armor, however, was still intact, and she didn't make much headway. She ducked into cover, as one threw a Spike grenade at her, which landed just in front of her cover.

The Rookie came up at that moment, and fired at them with his Plasma Rifle. The rifle seemed to be more effective at taking it's armor down, as after only two seconds, the armor of the first one fell off. She threw a grenade at them as the armor of the second was decimated. The grenade killed one, and she saw it wounded the other. But it still got up, spitting out a few teeth. It roared at them.

And fell forward, as a Shotgun blast hit it in the back. She moved out of cover, and the Rookie did the same. They looked at the man that had been cornered.

It was an NMPD Cop, who was in full riot gear, and had his orange visor down. It, as expected, had a Shotgun in his hands, the flashlight on.

"Thanks, troopers. They almost had me." he said gratefully.

"You're welcome. Hold your fire, but we have a friendly one."

The cop looked at her, and she could tell he was confused. The Rookie, however, catching on, whistled. Half a minute later, the Engineer appeared. The Cop tensed, gripping his weapon a little more tightly, but fortunately didn't raise it.

"Where did you get a green one?" the cop asked.

"Picked it up, like a stray dog. It has kept up with us since."

"Alright. I've been here on a mission with the rest of my team. I've been trying to get down to the next level checking my team. But this Stack is locked down tight."

Then, a chime sounded, as the Rookie had swept his hand over it during their conversation.

"WELCOME. ACCESS GRANTED." it said. Doc looked at him in surprise.

"Guess you've got a magic touch." she said.

( _Ha-Ha._ ) he typed. ( _What's next? The hallways are frozen?_ )

she chuckled at his joke, and just hit the pad, raising the stack.

And a swarm of buggers emerged. Rises went off to hide behind another pillar, while Doc, the cop and the Rookie dealt with the Drones. After they cleared them out, the Cop yelled at the console.

"What's wrong with you, Vergil? You trying to get me killed?"

"WARNING: HITCHIKERS MAY BE ESCAPED CONVICTS." It responded.

"Fucking machine. The whole city's gone to hell." he said.

Doc briefly looked at the Rookie, before jumping down. From the way the cop moved, tensely and always looking around, she assumed he was hiding something. And it was inside this base. And the brief look at the Rookie confirmed the fact that he suspected something was off as well. They jumped down. They landed in a room similar to the one right above them, only here the doors were unlocked. Rises followed them down soon afterwards.

They moved on. They came into another hallway similar to the one they entered in the level above them, when they exited the elevator room. Here, however, buggers were busy eating something. And Doc fought to hold in the contents of her stomach as she realized what they were eating.

"Son of a bitch." the Cop whispered. "These are my guys. Buggers got all of them." She listened closely, as she heard him murmur something. The Rookie typed it out for her.

( _He murmured: Now I have to check on the doc myself._ )

"What doc?" she asked, over a private channel. "Could it be Sadie's father? Kinsler killed him, after all."

(I don't see an alternative. As soon as he splits off, I'll follow him.)

"I'm with you."

( _As am I._ ) the Engineer typed. ( _He is planning to take one of my friends, Quick to Adjust. I won't stand in your way._ )

She nodded, and then got back to work. She, alongside the Rookie and the Cop, blasted them all, working through them as they went. After clearing them out, they followed the hallway onto the end. As they opened the door, they came to a staircase. She turned to the Cop.

"What level are you going to?" she asked.

"Sublevel 09." He answered. "You guys?"

"Same." She answered. "Guess we could use some back-up."

The cop nodded, and they went down the stairs. They entered a hallway similar to the one above. This one, however, was ice-cold, and the surface of every hallway was covered in Argon.

( _Yep. He's definitely here for Dr. Endesha_.) the Rookie typed. ( _Kinsler used Argon to kill him. Be ready_.)

She nodded, and as they moved through the hallways, they checked every corner, making sure no Stalkers sneaked up behind them. After a moment, they came to an office. And though Doc couldn't read it because of the Argon, she knew it was the office of Endesha.

"Wait here." The cop said. "I have to check on something. It's… personal."

She nodded, and they let him go in. after five seconds, however, the Rookie nodded. She went in, followed on her heels by her partner.

They caught him red-handed, checking the pulse of a man sitting on the ground in a corner of the room. He looked up with alarm as they approached. "Step away from there." The Cop said threateningly. "This isn't none of your business."

"and making sure Kinsler got away with murder is yours?" Doc asked, angry at the man's betrayal.

"My orders were specific." The man said. "Make sure the doc's dead, and make double sure no one knows about it."

"CAUTION, TRAVELER. CAUTION." The Superintendent said.

"I'm sorry, troopers. But the both of you know way too much." The Cop raised his Shotgun, aiming it at them as they still stood very close together.

His weapon was pulled down, however, by a tentacle from Sinks or Rises, who had snuck into the room through a side door connecting to another office. The Cop looked at him in bewilderment.

And was subsequently gunned down by the Rookie and Doc, who hit him through his visor.

"CRIME DOESN'T PAY. GOOD CITIZENS DO THEIR PART!" The Superintendent said. Doc nodded. "Yes. We do our part. Now let's get you out of there, Vergil."

The Rookie nodded. They moved on again. After a minute of traveling through the hallway. They looked up as Dare called over the Com again.

"Buck. Who knows if you can hear me. But… I'm sorry." She paused. "I should have told you more about this mission. More… about everything."

( _We must be close. The Beacon's just down that maintenance corridor._ ) the Rookie typed. She nodded, and they made their way down it. After a minute of following it, they came at a door, with two Buggers scratching at it. They shot them, and made their way to the door. The Engineer moved in as well, and moved to the console of the door. After a moment, it moved back, defeated by the fact it wasn't meant for such tasks. Then, the Rookie knocked on the door twice.

Immediately, the door opened up, and an ONI field agent stood there, minus her Helmet and stomach armor plate. She had a headset over her head, and her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. She also had her pistol leveled at the ODST's head.

"It's you!" she said, surprised, as . "I thought... never mind. What was your name again?"

Before he could respond, a screech came down the corridor. Doc immediately raised her rifle in that direction.

"Inside, now!" the woman ordered. Doc backed inside, followed by Rises. The woman closed the door. She then finally noticed Rises. "A green Engineer? Where did you find that?"

"Just above us, moving on the streets." Doc answered. "It seems to be a medic-counterpart to the normal ones, as it healed my leg."

the woman nodded, then held her hand out for shaking. "I'm Captain Veronica Dare, Office of Naval Intelligence. I was his Squad leader. You?"

Doc shook her hand. "Corpsman Natalie van Kamp. Call me Doc." she then turned to the Rookie. "I managed to veer out of the way of the slipspace hole in time to evade it, but the EMP crashed my pod and got me stuck. After six hours, he found me. We have been traveling together ever since."

the Rookie nodded, and then gestured at Dare's head. Doc and Dare looked at him in confusion.

Shaking his head, he moved towards Dare, took her headset, and activated the holographic tactical eyepiece. He then typed something, so Dare could see it.

( _Just so we can all communicate._ ) he said. ( _Since I'm mute, this is the closest you'll get to me talking._ )

Dare nodded. "Fair enough." she then motioned them down the hallway. Rises, as usual, followed them. "This way, and stay quiet." she urged. "Some _idiots_ blew the building at the top of this shaft. Woke the whole Hive."

she pointed down, out a window. "Down there, in that building? That's the Superintendent. The AI that runs every system in the city." she paused. "My mission..." she paused, looking at the Rookie. "Our mission... is to secure the Superintendent's data."

Doc nodded, catching on. "But from here, as we can see from here," she pointed at the nest the Drones had built. It stuck to the other side of the walkway that connected the building to the shaft "There is only one way in: Through the entire hive."

Dare nodded. "It would have been suicide to go in alone, and I was hoping for more back-up." she paused. "But I suppose the four of us are it."

"Indeed. But look on the bright side: if any of us are wounded, Sinks or Rises can patch us up entirely in under a minute. For free."

Dare laughed. "Yeah, that would be nice: Free healthcare." she then looked at the Rookie. "You've been separated from the rest of the squad since we dropped? Fighting on the surface?"

the Rookie nodded.

"Well, unless you've spent all night hiding in your pod, you must know your stuff." Dare said, raising her pistol. "Show me."

the Rookie nodded, and passed the Captain his SMG and the ammo he had for it. ( _Don't want you to run out._ ) he typed.

The Captain nodded, as she holstered her pistol and took the weapon. "Thanks."

they then moved on, down the rest of the facility and in the direction of the hive below.

( _If we are to take Rises with us, we have to clear the whole hive._ ) the Rookie typed. ( _They'll kill him if they get the chance the moment he's spotted._ )

"He's right." Doc said. "He's invaluable, but he won't make it a meter past their defenses unless we clear it out."

Dare nodded, looking up. "You're right. Doc, Rookie, make your way up there. Clear it out section by section. If one's clear, Rises and I move in and follow you."

Doc nodded. Will do.

( _I will await your signal._ ) Rise said, the text translated by their software.

Doc and Rookie moved to the nearest elevator, and it went up automatically. After a moment, it stopped.

"ELEVATOR UP. NEXT STOP:" the Superintendent said. It didn't finish the announcement, though. Doc decided to finish it for it.

"Bugger Central."

( _Hahaha._ ) the Rookie typed. ( _Very_ _appropriate._ )

Doc smiled. They stepped out. As they made their way inside, she could see that the Drones had been busy: their 'Spit-house' covered all of the Building's generators and power junctions, having turned them into their own living quarters.

( _Knock knock._ ) the Rookie typed, as the threw a plasma grenade at one of the living areas the drones had created. The explosion blew it apart, and overloaded one of the generators. Doc, thinking ahead, raised the Captain. "Ma'am, the core of the Superintendent runs on a separate power grid than the rest of the base, right?"

"Yes." Dare said. "One located outside of the city. Why?"

( _We accidentally overloaded one of the generators in this section. Things could get hot._ ) the Rookie typed. ( _The Drones will be gone in a few minutes. But you and Rises have to be careful what you do once you move through this area. It could become unstable._ )

"I copy." Dare said. "I guess I'll hear when it's cleared."

"Yep." Doc said, as she signed off. She and the Rookie then ran for it, trying to reach the other end of the large cavernous room. She saw a door opening, due to a Drone stepping through, and she ran for it. She also fired her Battle Rifle at it, overloading its shields and killing it. She dived inside. She got up and made her way over to close the door. She then, finally, noticed something.

The Rookie wasn't there.

She looked around outside, and saw he was holding off a small swarm of Drones who had emerged, covering as she had run to safety.

"Come on, Rookie! Run!" she yelled. He kept on fighting, however. The majority of Drones died as a large part of the ceiling collapsed, damaged as the first generator blew. The other generators all around them started overloading as well. The Rookie managed to dive for cover in time, ducking just beyond the edge of the part of the roof that collapsed. Satisfied the room was temporarily clear, he ran for it. Straight towards her.

As he jumped through, she closed the hatch. Just as the door finally reached the floor, the flames from the explosions of the other generators exploding hit the edge of it. After a moment, she opened the door again.

The area beyond was ravaged. The catwalks were nearly all destroyed, except for one that lined the wall. The Drone hives were gone, fortunately.

"Captain." Doc rhetorically called. "It's clear."

"No shit." Dare said sarcastically. "I'm already on the way up."

indeed, after a few seconds, they could see Dare on the other side, the SMG in hand. She made her way around the catwalk, towards them. Rises just floated up from a gap made in the floor by the explosion, and joined them. After Dare arrived, they made their way further towards the core.

"Please tell me that's the entire hive." Doc said.

"As far as I'm aware, this was the only one." Dare answered. "And which of you thought it was a good idea to blow the generators?"

( _Me._ ) the Rookie typed.

"Because it was brilliant."

Doc rolled her eyes.

They finally made it to the core. A Chieftain and two Minors were firing away at the door.

"Raaah! Open this door, Traitor!" the Chieftain yelled.

"SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS. ALL DOGS MUST BE KEPT ON LEASH!" it said.

"By the Prophets! You will _pay_ for your insolence!" it yelled.

"It won't be long before they smash through that door." Doc said. "Let's take them out, now."

the others agreed, and the three combatants jumped down. The Rookie aimed at the Chieftain's back, and fired a burst from his Battle rifle at it. Doc and Dare each took on one of the minors, who went down without trouble. The Chieftain, however, turned to them, and raised its hammer, preparing for a charge.

"BURGLARS DETECTED. ACTIVATING SECURITY SYSTEMS!" the superintendent called. As it said this, automated turrets emerged from their sockets alongside the doors. They targeted the Chieftain, and opened fire on it. The Chieftain swung his hammer around and quickly destroyed the turrets. It gave the Rookie an opportunity, however, to jump onto its back, grab his combat knife, and stab it into the eye. He then pulled his pistol from his boot, and as the Brute trashed around, fired a round into the other one, through the eye slits of its helmet.

"Not bad." Dare said. "You do know your stuff."

( _I aim to please._ ) the Rookie typed, as he moved to the door of the data center.

"Something tells me you're not actually a Rookie." Doc said, as the door opened for them.

( _Oh, you noticed?_ )

she rolled her eyes, as they entered the building that contained the Data center.

* * *

Data Center, New Mombasa, Kenya, East-Africa, Earth.

The Rookie moved into the control room of the Data center, covering the others as they entered. Rises went in last, sticking to Dare as he entered the room. The door closed behind him, cutting off their only light source. He activated his VISR-systems, as did Doc. Dare activated her flashlight. They swept across the room, looking for a console.

He looked up as Dare aimed for something at the main core.

All the Rookie saw was a tentacle, belonging to an Engineer, slipping away.

Just as he though tit would, the Engineer that had helped Sadie Endesha, had stayed put, and helped them, along with the other members of his squad, as they'd progressed, knowing they were supposed to rescue him.

The Rookie made Dare lower her SMG, and whistled. Doc lowered her rifle on her own initiative, upon seeing the Engineer. The Engineer got out of cover, and slowly made its way towards them.

"We've seen the Engineers before on other ops." Dare said, giving them a slight exposition. "But we've never gotten this close to a normal one."

it stopped in front of Sinks or Rises, and Rises removed a previously unseen piece of explosive armor still attached to one of its Gas sacks.

"Best we can tell? They're prisoners, or slaves. Either way, they don't like the Covenant any more than we do."

Rises finished with his new buddy. The new friend turned to them, and approached Dare.

"The Slipspace event fried most of the Superintendent's circuits. I thought it might be finishing the job. But now I see that you weren't trying to hurt the Superintendent."

she put her hand close to it. It wrapped a tentacle around it. The Rookie quickly qualified it as an ally, and nicknamed it Vergil, after the AI it had likely absorbed.

"You were trying to fix it."

she moved around it, admiring it. The Rookie and Doc took their distance a bit, giving them a bit of room.

"If I'm right, this one's taken the Superintendents data and combined it with its own."

It seemed to be conversing with something inside itself. Likely with the Vergil personality inside it.

"Everything we want to know about the Covenant... what they're looking for under the city... is right... in here."

then an alarm sounded from a console. Their new friend went over, to see what was going on.

It wasn't good. Brute Rangers were jumping down from the whole above, and a Phantom was flying in with more of them.

"Damn." Doc said, as she saw it. "The exploding generators must have raised an alarm."

then, the Engineer panned away the camera, towards the start of the walkway, near the drone hives. Near the entrance, an elevator door opened up.

The Rookie could immediately see the first person to emerge was a Spartan. It was over two meters tall, damn, nearly two and a half, and it had more weapons than he did. A Rocket launcher was on his back, and he had a pair of silenced SMG's on his hips. He had a Shotgun in his hands. The other person...

"Buck!" Veronica called.

"Veronica?" Buck asked, as he looked around. The Spartan seemed to be eying the reinforcements coming down. "Where the hell are you?"

"Data center, but we're coming out."

"We?"

"No time to explain, but do _not_ , I repeat, do _not_ shoot anything green or pink."

Buck looked into the camera, as he raised his weapon at the Covenant soldiers.

Dare turned away from the screen, and turned to the Engineers. She loaded a new clip into her SMG. "Those Brutes are hear for the Engineer. They'll kill it if they get the chance." Dare said. She turned to the two engineers. "You two, stay behind me. Okay?"

Pink one nodded, and the Green one signed something.

( _We will stay behind the Captain. I will follow you. Will the new ones harm us?_ )

"The humans won't." Doc assured them. "Now, lets get moving."

the others nodded, and they made their way to the outside. A new aura surrounded each of them, covering their surface.

"The Engineers still have shields." Dare noted. "But they won't last long in a firefight."

the ODST's both nodded.

They got to the outside, and they saw, to their surprise, that most of the Brutes were already dead. The Spartan had one in the air by its throat as he punched another one in the face. He then threw the one he had over the edge, letting it fall into the shaft. The Spartan then turned to them, and gestured for them to get moving. The Rookie nodded, and ran towards them, firing at a Grunt that was coming up on them as he went.

They managed to all make it to the large cargo elevator. The Spartan covered them as first the Engineers, then the Captain and Doc, and the Rookie and Buck last. The Spartan closed the door, and they all went upwards. It went at a snail's pace, however, so Buck decided to break the silence.

"About this, uh, asset? Feel free to fill me in whenever."

the Captain wanted to dismiss him, but the Spartan was ahead of her.

"Engineers are the Covenant's mechanics, double-functioning as data drives as well. What they know can win the war, Buck. Both in intel and in technology."

Buck looked up. "Oh. In that case, welcome aboard."

the Rookie rolled his eyes, and he saw Doc was putting her head in her shoulders. Buck removed his helmet. He immediately put his hand to his nose. "Phew. Lord, those things stink. Kinda reminds me of my-"

he was cut off, as Dare punched him in the face, an angry expression on her face. The others immediately stepped back.

"What was that for?" Buck asked.

"Abandoning the mission." Dare answered.

"What mission? You dropped off the grid! My squad was scattered-" Buck started, as he was interrupted again. This time however, it was because Dare kissed him. Doc jokingly put her hands in front of her eyes.

( _Oh no! Grown-ups are kissing!_ ) the Rookie typed jokingly.

( _When this is over, I'll make you kiss that Engineer._ ) she typed back. They looked back, as the pair broke apart. "And that?" Buck asked, murmuring.

"For coming back." Dare answered. They then turned around, realizing they had an audience. The Engineers looked between themselves, while the Rookie and Doc just stood back, glancing around. The Spartan looked between them. "You two are getting engaged after this?" He asked nervously.

Doc practically fell on the floor, laughing. The Rookie just shook his head. Dare and Buck just turned a slight shade of red.

They then arrived back at the surface. The Spartan took the lead as they went outside. Doc got up, and Buck put on his helmet again.

They were in the courtyard of the ONI Building again, and Sam could see a lot of wreckage had been thrown about. There even was a new bridge formed of debris. They all crossed it, and the Spartan took the lead. After following him for half an hour, they came to another elevator.

"We came here by Warthog. Our extraction's waiting in a shipyard down the highway above."

the others nodded, and as the elevator arrived, they all got on. After about ten seconds of waiting, the doors opened again. And Dare pointed up in shock.

An entire fleet of Covenant Cruisers was appearing in atmosphere. They all headed for the Slipspace crater.

There were over fifteen of them.

"When did this happen?" Dare asked.

"They started showing up right before we went underground." Buck answered.

"And you waited till now to tell me this?" she asked, irritated.

Buck took off his helmet. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was a little busy. Making sure Perfume and Froggy didn't take a round from hidden snipers and blow us all up."

the Rookie noticed the Engineers were looking sad, and he tapped Doc's shoulder, pointing at them. Doc nodded, and she followed them. The Spartan was checking over their warthog, checking it was still operable.

"Eddie Buck. Always thinking with his gun." Dare continued angrily. "You haven't changed one bit."

"Me?" Buck retorted. "How about you? Oh, so big of ONI secrets, couldn't even give a guy a yes or no answer!"

"That's not fair!" Dare said.

"Oh, you've got that right!"

the Rookie tried to signal to them the Engineers were gone. But the two continued on. It was useless.

"I never thought I'd see you again." Dare said.

"Yeah?" Buck said, spreading his arms. "Well, here I am."

they all looked up, as another Cruiser jumped in.

"We need to move, now!" Dare said.

"Yes." Buck said. But since we only have room for four, those things will have to sit on your lap." Buck said, when he finally noticed the Engineers were gone.

"The engineers!" Dare said, alarmed. "Where did they go?"

at that point, the top hatch of an Olifant Garbage truck opened, with a Tentacle of an engineer making the mocking movement of sounding a train horn. The horn of the Olifant sounded twice at those moments. Doc came up as well.

"Come on, Captain. Let's make this the girl truck." she said.

Dare nodded, and she ran towards it. "Keep me covered." she said across her shoulder, climbing it. Just before she jumped in, she looked at Buck again. "And try to keep up."

she then jumped in and closed the hatch.

Buck just shook his head. "Take my advice Rookie: you ever fall for a woman?" he put on his helmet. "Make sure she's got balls."

 _Oh, that she did. In fact, he wasn't sure who had more guts: him... or Doc._

He went to the turret of the Warthog, but the Spartan stopped him.

"My spot. You guys go up front. Make it more balanced."

the Rookie nodded, and he went to the driver's seat. As soon as he got in, he started driving away.

They got across the majority of the Highway without trouble. It was still abandoned, like the rest of the city had been. They only encountered resistance, of course, at the worst possible times: like when a Scarab was walking over the overpass they were just about to enter.

"Scarab." Doc said.

"I see it, Doc. Must have dropped from one of those Cruisers. Just keep driving: it hasn't spotted us."

they did move on. What the found inside the overpass, however, made the Rookie stop for a moment.

An undamaged Scorpion tank.

He got out, and ran into the driver's seat. He had always wanted to man one of these. After a moment, the Spartan and Buck got on as well, with Buck manning the turret and the Spartan standing on top, holding his Rocket Launcher.

They moved on. And it was fortunate the Rookie had switched vehicles. For about Four Wraiths were on the highway, keeping an eye on the city, preventing everything from coming out of it. The Rookie fired on the rear of the farthest, and the second farthest, letting the Spartan fire first on the closest two. As their partners died, the inner two tanks turned. They took damage from the fire directed at them, and they tried aiming at them with their Plasma mortars.

They died, as the Rookie fired another shot at the middle between the two tanks. Where a couple of Plasma barrels were standing, refueling the tanks. The Tanks blew, the multiple explosions crippling them. He heard a cheer, and realized it was the Spartan.

"Yeah. That's the way, Rookie. Make a few more of those, and my day's made."

the Rookie laughed silently. He started to like the killing machine, despite the reputation the Spartans had among ODST's.

They an Assault Carrier arrive over the city as they drove past the wrecks. The Olifant, as large as it was, just pushed aside other cars with its sheer size.

"Assault Carrier!" Buck called out. "Ten o'clock high! Look at the size of that thing!"

then the Rookie saw something very worrisome: it charged its energy projector.

"it's charging its glassing beam!" Doc called out.

"But the dig site's on the other side of the city!" Buck retorted.

Still, the Rookie knew the Covenant couldn't leave the city intact: the UNSC could dig in there, and they would have an excellent stronghold. They could make numerous attacks on the Covenant dig site from it, and they would be very hard to drive away from that place. From the Covenant's perspective, of course the city had to be glassed.

As expected, it started glassing the city. It destroyed the city's outer perimeter, including Old Mombasa. Buck started to panic.

"Damn it, no! They're gonna burn this city and then glass the whole planet! Covenant bastards! It's just like Reach all over again!"

"You made it out of there. We can make it out of here." Dare calmed him. "We can do this, Buck."

Buck, the Rookie could see, was starting to calm again. "Yeah. Ok. You're right."

Once Buck had calmed down, he raised the others, who were at the Phantom. "Mickey, you read me? Change of plans. You're coming to us."

"Sky's kind of crowded, Gunny." Mickey said. "Do we have to?"

"There's no other way. The Covenant just wasted the highway. We're gonna keep rolling as far as we can. Get airborne, fly the Phantom to my beacon."

"Understood."

"And whatever you do... stay clear of that Carrier."

"Yes, sir. Did you guys find what you were looking for?"

"Yes." the Spartan answered. Captain Dare, the Rookie, another ODST Romeo will ruin, and two Engineers. The gas bags."

"Oh." was all Mickey managed. "Ok. I'll meet you guys there, then."

the Spartan signed off, and he aimed his Rocket Launcher upwards again.

They kept driving for another few minutes. They were making a fairly good progress. Then, it all went to hell. As the Rookie was used to.

Another scarab walking across an overpass. And this one spotted them.

"This one's onto us!" Buck warned. They heard an Engineer's squeal across the Channel.

"We're going too fast! The Engineers can't stop it!" Doc called out.

The Scarab fired its main gun at them, and it hit the Olifant in the front, near the cabin. The truck stopped. The Scarab, after seeing nothing more moving, moved on, further into the city to destroy it.

"Veronica!" Buck called out. "Talk to me!" silently, he noticed he worried just as much about Doc as Buck did about Veronica.

"The Assets." Veronica Coughed. "They're all right."

"Screw the Aliens, what about you?" Buck asked.

"We're fine. But this garbage truck's had it."

"Take the next off-ramp." the Spartan said. "I see a building on the north side of the highway. We'll hole up there, and wait for evac."

the Rookie, anticipating his next order, drove down the next ramp he could see, and drove on as long as he could. They arrived at a small road-block that prevented the tank from moving on to the building, which seemed to be the entrance to the Uplift Nature Reserve. He got out of the vehicle, and saw, as he jumped over the barricade, that the Spartan was already halfway across the courtyard, and had already kicked a Grunt out of the way. The Grunt had hit the nearest wall, and the Rookie saw a large splatter of blood that marked where he had hit the wall.

He arrived at the building just in time to see the Spartan holding a Jackal by its neck, choking it.

He dropped it, after the Rookie heard a snapping of the neck. He looked around, trying to find more targets. All he saw was dead bodies.

( _All clear._ ) he typed. ( _Captain, come to us. We'll cover you._ )

"alright." sure enough, after a moment, Doc and the Captain came strolling along, and the Engineers followed suit. Buck raised Mickey again.

"Mickey, what's your ETA?"

"Had to reroute, Gunny." the pilot answered. "The whole damn city's on fire!"

"Trooper, I have two Tier One assets and a whole bunch of Covenant that want them dead." Dare said sternly. "Whatever you do... Step on it!"

"Yes, Ma'am." Mickey immediately answered.

The Spartan then took command of the situation. "Captain, you are the least heavily armed. You hole up inside, and give the Engineers close cover. Rookie, man one of the Turrets I spotted on the roof. Buck, you take the other. Doc, head further up the roof and give us Sniper cover."

"Yes, Sir." they all said. The Rookie just gave an informal salute, before heading up and taking the leftmost turret. Buck went off to take the rightmost one. The Spartan just stood in front of the entrance, his Battle Rifle aimed at the barricade that had stopped their tank.

They didn't have to wait long for hostilities to begin: their Tank exploded after a few seconds, and, if the Rookie counted right, Eight Hunters charged towards them.

"Aw, hell." Buck muttered. The Rookie opened fire, aiming for the exposed midsection of one in the middle. Buck did the same with the rightmost one. The Spartan just grabbed his Rocket Launcher, and fired twice at the Center of the formation. After the smoke cleared, two hunters, hit in their exposed orange midsections, were dead, and two others were stripped of their armor. They died quickly, as Doc fired at them with her Sniper rifle.

Buck then fired at one, and it turned its shield towards buck, covering itself.

And in doing so, exposing itself to the Rookie's turret. He took the given opportunity, and fired away at it. It tried to turn to the Rookie, but it died quickly, as Doc joined in on killing the Hunter. It fell down, riddled with Bullets. After a while, there were only two Hunters remaining. The Rookie, however, saw that they were ascending the stairs that led to the entrance of the building. He had to either let the Spartan deal with them, and let Dare take her chances, or he could remove himself from behind the turret, and attack them in the back.

He moved away from the turret, and charged. He jumped on top of one of the walls, and ran towards the edge. As he came to it, he jumped again.

Landing between the Hunter's rear spines and onto its back armor plate. The Rookie wasted no time, and grabbed his Plasma Rifle with one hand. He put it between the back plate and the waist, as the Hunter tried to dislodge him, and held down the trigger until it overheated.

It seemed, however, that this only infuriated the Hunter. It ran backwards, and the Rookie saw it was trying to crush him, ramming him against the wall. He let go, and dropped himself to the ground as the Hunter stepped over him.

He got up as fast as he could, having seen a Marine get crushed by a Hunter's shield before. He immediately ran back into cover. As he dived behind it, he saw the Hunter was charging up its Fuel-Rod cannon. _Crap_.

A rocket flew over his head, and impacted beyond his cover. He looked up and over it.

The Hunter was down, the head severed from the rest of the body by the explosion. The arm holding the cannon was also missing, the cannon having exploded due to an overcharge.

The Spartan stood behind him, holding the smoking launcher. He put it back on his back, and raised his Battle rifle for an instant, checking the area was clear. After he did, he moved to the Rookie's turret. He then ripped it from its stance, and brought it down there with him, strolling like it was no heavier than a towel. The Rookie glanced around, looking for the final Hunter.

There it was. It was ripped in half, the waist and chest pulled apart, with the latter laying in front of the entrance. The Eels that composed a Hunter were strewn around. _Had the Spartan actually ripped it apart?_

"Chieftain, coming from the Highway. Also, we have Wraiths on it as well." Doc called out.

"That's not good." Buck said.

Indeed, the Chieftain was charging towards them zigzagging in order to avoid being hit. The Rookie grabbed one of the few incendiary grenades he could find, and threw it at the Chieftain.

The hammer was hit, and it caught fire. Soon, as the flame spread, the entire Chieftain was engulfed. It saved itself, however, by falling to the ground and rolling the flames out. It then got up and grabbed its hammer, and although everything was covered in a black sooth, it was till very much alive. It charged towards them again.

This time, Buck did the crazy thing. Just as the Chieftain arrived at the Entrance, and was about to let its hammer fall onto the Spartan, he jumped down from the roof, onto its back. He then grabbed his combat knife, and stabbed it in the Brute's neck. The Spartan dropped his weapon, grabbed his own slightly curved Combat knife, and shoulder-charged the Chieftain, before inserting his knife inside the Brute's heart. It died, and fell onto his stomach. As Buck got up, the Spartan grabbed his own Combat knife and Buck's, cleaned both on his armor, and handed Buck his knife back. Buck inserted it into its sheath. The Rookie noticed the Spartan was still looking at Buck even though he was moving back onto the roof.

Soon, as the Wraiths kept mortaring their position, he heard a Phantom approaching. And voices he really wanted to hear.

"Yee-Haa! Light 'em up, boys" Mickey called out, as he maneuvered the Phantom so the Wraiths couldn't fire on it.

"Romeo, take the one on the left." Dutch said.

"I've got it. Just keep this thing steady, Mickey." Romeo answered.

The Rookie looked on, as the ODST's destroyed the tanks, without too much trouble. Then, they hovered over, stopping right in front of him.

"For replacements" Dare said admiringly "You men make one hell of a team."

"Just nice to know they really do listen." Buck answered. "Come on, people. Time is short."

"Still," Doc said. "It was one _hell_ of a night." to that, the Rookie agreed, and he entered the gravity beam of the Phantom.

* * *

Captured Covenant Phantom, Mombasa Airspace, Kenya, East-Africa, Earth.

Soon, they were all aboard, including him, Dare, Buck, Romeo, Dutch, Mickey, the Rookie, Doc, and the two Huragok. Sam looked outside. The Covenant seemed to have found what they were looking for. It was a large, metal, underground platform, evidently Forerunner. And, if Sam's math skills were still good, it had to be a hundred kilometer in diameter. And we have been sitting on it for all this time, without noticing.

ONI really had slipped up. Or covered it up really well. He didn't like either.

He closed the hatch on his side, and turned to the Crew. The Huragok had moved into the Cockpit, assisting Mickey with the right security codes for Covenant Airspace, as they still had access to the Battlenet. Dutch and Romeo were sitting near the Cockpit door, talking with each other about someone named Gretchen, and what she would have thought of this night. Likely an old squad mate of theirs that had either been killed or crippled during the war. Dare was gone, likely in the Cockpit as well. The Rookie and Doc were leaning against the back wall, and from the looks of it, the Rookie was sleeping, with Doc holding his hand while he did so. He didn't need to be an expert to know that a relationship could spring from that.

He made his way over to the final occupant. Buck stood near the other hatch, watching the city get glassed. It wasn't unusual for a man to continue watching a glassing, even if they were aware the Covenant were massacring people while doing so.

"Nice view, isn't it? Even if they kill people on a massive scale, they still make an art of it." Sam said as an ice-breaker. Buck nodded.

"Yep. Still, that was a nice city, I had to admit." Buck turned to him. "Something wrong?"

Sam briefly thought of his opinion of the Sergeant. He was a good, charismatic man who cared for his troops, even if he wouldn't admit it sometimes. He also had guts. Jumping onto the back of a Jiralhanae Chieftain? Not once, but twice? That meant you either had the biggest balls in history, or you were crazier than even Six.

He just took off his helmet. "Buck. I think a lot of you, and all of it comes down to this." he said.

"If you were any better, even a little bit, you'd be a Spartan."

the man had his helmet off, and Sam could see that he was shocked. And who wouldn't be, if they heard that a Spartan thought he could be one of them? Sam smiled, and held out his hand for shaking. "Serving alongside you has been a great honor, and I would do so again any day on the week."

"Even Mondays?" Buck asked, his voice still containing a bit of shock despite his joke.

"Yes." Sam said. "Even Monday mornings."

Buck laughed. "Well, I can safely say you broke the stereotypical image of Spartans. And that you can always call on us if need be, Spartan."

"Sam." he said, as Buck finally realized he was holding his hand out for shaking, and shook it. From his peripheral vision, he could see that everyone had stopped talking, and that Dare, Romeo, Dutch and Doc were all staring at them. Only the Rookie was still asleep.

"My name's Sam." he said.

Buck nodded. "Well, Sam. For what it's worth, good luck."

Sam laughed. "Spartans never die. Remember?"

buck laughed as well, before he also noticed that the others were watching. Both turned to them.

All immediately went back to their business, trying to get away with eavesdropping. Doc going back to the Rookie's side, while Romeo and Dutch went back to talking. Dare decided to join them.

Buck turned back to Sam. "I promise you, when this is over, we all get together, your team and mine, and we all get drunk at a bar or something."

"You need to buy the whole damn bar, then. Our metabolism's four times as fast as yours, meaning we can't get drunk. Unless we drink so much alcohol most would die from it."

Buck nodded. "I'll make a note to ask ONI for something stronger." Buck said, before moving over to join Dare, Romeo and Dutch.

Sam looked between all of them, as he closed the last hatch. He briefly observed Dare and Buck as they talked. They really seemed to care for each other, despite their differences, and the failed request he had overheard about. And they did seemed to want to spend more time together. And, from what he had seen between the Rookie and Doc, they also cared for each other, despite knowing each other for only a few hours. Experiences together could do that, he knew. It was how he and Six had become good friends, after all. He made his decision about the matter that had been plaguing him for over a month at that moment. He had his answer. He wanted something more from the friendship between him and Six. More than being a sister.

 _Thanks, Buck. I owe you one for this. Thanks, for showing me that I should have something more for myself._

* * *

 **Thank you all, for waiting patiently. I will admit, this was one hell of a chapter to write for Archivists. Why Sam joined up with Alpha Nine? Simple: I wasn't planning for him to be on High-Charity or the Ark, so he would be skipped from the majority of the main story. and I wasn't gonna let someone like him go out without a bang. so I made him fight with Buck, and have a potential plot point for later. rest assured, he will appear again in Ghosts of Onyx. but he won't be involved in the Halo 2 or 3 plots.**

 **As for the fire-suppression System in the Spartan armor at the beginning, that was inspired by Star Wars: Republic Commando, where their Commandoes had a similar system in-game. and I couldn't let something like that be omitted from Spartan armor.**

 **rest assured, from here on, I will return from the main story, starting with... we'll come back to that next chapter.**

 **Please, review these, so I know where to improve, or if that's even necessary.**

 **Gharst Omenlumin.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Greetings for those who still read this. I am sorry for my lack of updates, but I had a writers block when I tried to figure out how I would write the Arbiter's part. It was resolved when I played Halo 3 again on Coop and noticed: Hey, I already have those two Elites in the story, why not give them a larger role?**

 **anyway, here it is. Disclaimer: I own nothing beyond OC's.**

* * *

Halo 2: Great Schism

Chapter 3

Brig 26, 'Relics of our Forebears' sector, High-Charity, Orbit over Threshold and ruins of Installation 04

Thel Vadam slipped in and out of consciousness, as he was dragged through the Holding Pens of High-Charity, as they were nicknamed by the Jiralhanae. He wanted to just sleep, after the humiliation he had suffered and never wa-

No! that was the mentality of a coward, and Thel was no coward, despite the Mark of Shame he now bore on his chest. He was a warrior of Vadam, the largest state of Sanghelios. He would not give in to the pain. He forced himself to wake up.

"How much further must we heft this baggage?" he heard one Brute ask, as first his hearing returned. "Any cell will do."

Then his sight returned. Two Brutes were dragging him through one of the brigs of High-Charity, led by Tartarus. He couldn't tell in what section of the city the brig was in, though.

"Why not toss him in with this lot?" the other asked, gesturing with his free hand to one of the cells. It was filled with former Ruuhtian and Ibie'shan Pirates. They were much thinner than the average Kig-Yar, and Thel realized they were starved. They clawed and hissed at them as they passed, trying to reach Thel. "They could use the meat."

"Them?" the first Jiralhanae asked. "What about us? My belly aches. And his flesh is seared just the way I like it."

Before the second could respond, Tartarus admonished them. "Quiet! You two whimper like Unggoy fresh off the Teat." he opened the closest door. "He's not meant for the jails. The hierarchs have something... _special_ in mind."

Thel didn't dare think what the San'Shyuum could have in mind for him. Surely, after this kind of failure, he wouldn't be spared any fate. He would be skinned alive, burned, and dismembered. Still, he was a warrior of Vadam, and so, he would take it all.

After a moment, he was dragged towards a large structure Thel immediately recognized: The Mausoleum of the Arbiters. The warriors that had often saved Sanghelios and the Covenant in desperate times. They were the saviors of the Covenant. But they were also marks of shame, for the Arbiters were only brought into being by taking people who had committed something of great shame, and gave them the opportunity to throw their lives away in battle in order to regain a bit of their honor. Would the San'Shyuum lecture him on how much better they were than him, before killing him? It would fit the image of the Hierarchs.

After a minute of marching towards it, he was pulled in by the Jiralhanae. They bowed, and in doing so, he was lowered as well.

"Noble San'Shyuum of Truth and Mercy." Tartarus said reverently. "I have brought the incompetent."

"You may leave, Tartarus." he hear Truth say.

"But... I thought-" Tartarus started, but Truth didn't let him finish.

"And take your Jiralhanae with you."

Tartarus hesitated for a moment, before Tartarus turned to the two other Jiralhanae. "Release the Prisoner."

The Jiralhanae dropped him unceremonially to the ground, before turning and leaving the large room. Tartarus followed them close behind.

As soon as they were out of Earshot, Truth started speaking. "The Council wanted to have you hung by your entrails, and your corpse paraded through the city. But ultimately, the terms of your execution are up to me."

"I am already dead." Thel said somberly. With his name shamed, he could not set foot anywhere without someone sending him a hateful glare. And being called responsible for the Destruction of Halo, he knew that once he was released, he would only live for a day before someone got him, and shot him in retribution for his failure.

But Truth, as usual, had chosen a path for him he didn't predict. "Indeed. Do you know where we are?"

"The Mausoleum... of the Arbiter." he answered.

"Quite so." Truth said. "Here rests the Vanguard of the Great Journey. Every Arbiter, from first to last. Each one created and consumed in times of extraordinary crisis."

"The Taming of the Lekgolo," the wise, ancient voice of Mercy started, naming examples of where the Arbiter had saved the Covenant from fragmenting. "The Unggoy rebellion, the invasions of Sang'Katarn... were it not for the Arbiters, the Covenant would have broken long ago."

Thel knew this already, of course. He had read up on the history of the Arbiters during his education at Vadam Military training grounds, under a pair of Sang'Katarn elders who had come to educate the youth of the state. But what most didn't dare speak of, was that the Arbiter had in fact failed during the attempts to invade. He had been defeated during the first three invasions, been called away in the middle of the Fourth, and even been killed by Thel Katarn during the fifth. His death had taught the San'Shyuum that the Sang'Katarn Clan could not be so easily eradicated. And so, not willing to suffer more losses, the San'Shyuum had stopped the invasions, leaving the planet to the criminals.

And yet, due to reasons that still mystified Thel, the band of bandits and heretics had in fact created their own warrior culture, and their people were even more devoted to it than the average Sangheili. One warrior from Sang'Katarn had often been said to be able to defeat a hundred Sangheili, no matter the species of the Sang'Katarn being, through all means possible: Battle, trickery, persuasion. The Sang'Katarn, as a result of that reputation, were highly admired and respected on Sanghelios, and one would always be able to find shelter there. The legendary reputation of Fol Katarn had only reinforced it.

But his defection had shattered that image. Fol had not only shown he despised the Great Journey, but that he even preferred fighting alongside demons to fighting alongside his own troops. He had betrayed them, turning his back on the most ancient of beliefs. And despite Thel's boast that he was lying, he couldn't help but doubt the words of the Covenant slightly when Fol had claimed that an _Oracle_ had shown him those lies.

But he was smart enough to not say that out load. Instead, he just said what he believed. "Not even on my knees, I do not belong in their presence."

"Halo's destruction was your error, in failing to prevent Fol Katarn's defection. You do _rightly_ bear the blame." Truth said. "But the Council was... overzealous. We know you are no Heretic." Thruth pressed a button on his chair, and Thel held his breath.

It was Sesa Refumee, a good friend of Thel. He had been dispatched by the Prophet of Stewardship to the Forerunner Gas mine of Basis. Contact had been lost with him shortly after Halo's destruction. Thel would have tried to call him, had he not been busy by the capture of his own flagship, the Ascendant Justice.

" _This_ is the _true_ face of Heresy. One who would subvert our faith, and incite rebellion against the High Council."

Truth pressed another button, and the Hologram started to talk. And what he said shocked Thel. He did not expect this kind of betrayal from his friend.

"Our Prophets are False!" he called out. "Open your eyes, my brothers! They would use the faith of our forefathers to bring ruin to us all! The Great Journey is a-"

Truth cut him off before he could finish the sentence. He didn't have a hard time trying to guess what Sesa Refumee wanted to say.

That it was a lie.

"This heretic, and those who follow him, must be silenced." Truth said.

"Their slander offends all who walk the path!" Mercy called out. "This traitor must be silenced, like all of those who threaten the Journey will!"

"But what use am I?" Thel asked, confused. If asked as a Fleetmaster, he would have gladly accepted the offer. But now, with no one to follow him, he was useless to them. "I can no longer command ships, lead troops into battle-"

"Not as you are, no." Truth interrupted. "But become the Arbiter... and you shall be set loose against this Heresy with our blessing."

a pod descended from the roof of the Mausoleum. He knew what was in it. As it landed, the hatches opened to reveal it.

The ancient armor of the Arbiter.

"What of the Council?" he asked.

"The tasks you must undertake as the Arbiter are Perilous. Suicidal." Mercy answered, his voice raspy with age. "You will die, as each Arbiter has before you. The Council will have their corpse in the end."

Thel nodded, and, with a nod from Truth, got up, and walked over to the armor.

After a moment of admiring it, he grabbed the Helmet. And put it on.

"And what would you have your Arbiter do?" he asked, as he turned to the San'Shyuum.

* * *

Covenant Special Operations Phantom, Orbit over Threshold and ruins of Installation 04 (en-route to Threshold Forerunner gas mine)

The Arbiter stood to the back of the Phantom, as R'tas Vadum gave his usual speech to motivate the troops. R'tas currently had his face-covering Ultra helmet off, so the Troops could see the determination in his eyes. And the price of underestimating one's foe.

His missing Left Jaws.

"When we joined the Covenant, we took an Oath!" he called out the familiar chant to his troops.

"According to our Stations! All without exception!" his troops called back.

R'tas started walking between the soldiers. Theirs was the only Phantom that was to attack the Gas mine that the Heretics called their home. There were to be more initially, but the Prophet of Truth had denied it, stating that the Special Operations division shouldn't waste so many resources. And so, they had set out in only one. And, as R'tas had ensured, it was packed to the last inch with Sangheili, all armed and ready for combat.

N'tho 'Sraom couldn't help but be impressed by his efficiency, as he stood near the hatch that let them leave the dropship.

"On the Blood of our Fathers! On the Blood of our Sons! We swore to uphold the Covenant!" R'tas continued, passing him and Usze 'Taham. Usze, a Special Operations Sangheili like him, had trained alongside him for years. They had known each other since childhood, their keeps being good allies of each other. They had, by a stroke of Faith, been deployed alongside each other, and had been inseparable ever since. They were brothers, whether by Blood or not.

"Even to Our Dying Breath!" he, Usze and the others called in unison.

"Those who break this Oath are Heretics! Worthy of neither Pity, nor Mercy." R'tas said. "Even now, they use our lords' creations to Broadcast their lies!"

"We shall Grind them into Dust!" he called out with his comrades. "Scrape them as excrement from our boots!"

"And so, we continue Our march towards Glorious Salvation!" R'tas finished. As one, all Sangheili, over twenty in total, all raised their right fist into the air. Then, after he returned the gesture, R'tas replaced his Ultra helmet onto his head, and moved away. N'tho glanced at his close friend, Usze.

They had been deployed upon Halo alongside the Arbiter, back when he was still known as Thel Vadam, as well as their current commander. Their pilot, a young fellow named Narsk Orthel'kee, had also been present, and was one of few lucky Dropship pilots to survive the destruction of the Ring.

But Fol Katarn had also been deployed on the Ring, and he had aided in its destruction. R'tas, Thel, Usze and N'tho, along with the pilots, were the only ones he was still aware of that had been on the Ring and were still alive. The others were either all dead, missing, or supposedly deployed to the edges of Covenant territory, near the front with humanity. He didn't believe, however, that they were still alive. Considering the five last ones were currently all packed in one place, and that they were sent on a suicide mission to kill the Heretic Leader, he believed it was more likely they were killed. Silencing any possible witnesses of the event of Fol's defection. And the reason he had given for doing so. After all, saying 'an Oracle told me the journey is false' would have stirred quite the trouble for the Hierarchs.

He turned to his friend, as the other Elites also relaxed a bit more. Or as closely as they could manage in the confines of the Phantom. R'tas was talking with the Arbiter.

"What do you think?"

"Huh?" 'Taham asked.

"Could he be right? Could an Oracle be truly willing to subvert others from the journey?"

"Don't believe everything you hear." 'Taham warned him. "He came from Sang'Katarn, after all. And they never were the truest to our belief."

N'tho nodded, satisfied that his friend didn't seem to doubt the Journey. It reassured him a bit.

"Still." 'Taham continued after a moment. "It's worth investigating what was his tipping point."

'Sraom nodded. "I agree. But even if we got approval for this, which I highly doubt, we aren't exactly welcome on Sang'Katarn. How would we investigate all the facts then?"

"Good point." Usze admitted. "You know what? My head hurts thinking about all that what has happened. Let's just prepare for our assault on the mine."

'Sraom nodded, and they prepared their weapons.

* * *

R'tas looked at his troops, as he moved towards the Arbiter through the crowd. He eyed his troops. All were getting ready for battle, even if a few of them were talking among themselves. Nothing out of the ordinary. They still did their duty, despite the recent defection of the infamous Fol Katarn.

He finally managed to reach the Arbiter's side. He noted that aside from the Mark of Shame, a new Scar had been added since their last encounter: A scar above the Arbiter's left eye, which looked like an Energy Sword slash. R'tas recalled the report that Thel had fought to defend his ship, even as he was launched off of it by a hostile construct. Maybe a scar from a fight with a demon? He didn't know.

"This armor suits you." R'tas started. "But it cannot hide that mark."

"Nothing ever will." The Arbiter answered. So he was aware he could never go back to his old life, and had accepted it. Good. He didn't need someone who was to... attached to their rank. It had been the undoing of other Arbiters in the past, like Ripa 'Moram'ee

R'tas depolarized his eye covers of his helmet, so Thel could look him in the eyes. "You are the Arbiter, the will of the San'Shyuum. But these men... they are _my_ Sangheili. Their lives matter to me. Yours does not."

"That makes two of us." The Arbiter answered.

So he knew he would likely die here. The Prophets didn't send in an Arbiter unless they suspected it would end up being a suicide mission. And he would do what he could to make the mission come to a success, even at the risk of his own life. He could respect that. R'tas nodded, before he repolarized his helmet's eye-slits, so they glowed a steady blue.

He made his way to the Cockpit, from where he would oversee the assault as the rest of the teams attacked the station, searching for the Heretic leader. He made his way to the Pilot he had taken under his command, Narsk Orthel'kee. Narsk nodded to him. "Leader, there is no doubt. The superstorm forming on our East will strike the facility."

"We'll be gone long before it arrives." R'tas assured him.

He liked Narsk. He had shown potential from an early age, and had been able to drive anything: A ghost, a Wraith, a Phantom, a Seraph, a Corvette... he had been able to operate all of them, and with skill at that. R'tas suspected he had received a request from Sang'Katarn that he'd come visit it, but to the best of R'tas' knowledge, he hadn't. Still, ever since he heard Fol had defected, he seemed... distant.

Narsk hovered the Phantom over the area of the station they suspected the Heretic leader was at.

He called towards the back. "Warriors, prepare for combat! First team, out now!"

he actually felt it, as ten of the twenty-two warriors left the crowded Phantom. R'tas saw the Arbiter move ahead, followed closely by the two Spec-ops survivors from the Ascendant Justice, N'tho 'Sraom and Usze 'Taham. The rest of the team followed close behind.

"We are the arm of the San'Shyuum, Arbiter." he said. "And you are the blade. Be silent and swift, and we shall quells this heresy without incident."

"With how many ships that have been seen heading towards this Gas mine? I wish we were that fortunate."

"Don't be a pessimist, Arbiter. The Storm has masked our approach, and should have the local Battlenet in disarray. _We_ have the element of surprise. For now."

"For as long as it will last."

R'tas could only nod in agreement. No plan, no matter how thought out and executed, survived contact with an enemy. And if they encountered Heretics early on, they would be in trouble.

He heard a passing comment from one of the Sangheili about engaging Active Camouflage.

"You may wish to do the same, Arbiter. But take heed: your armor system isn't as... new as ours. Your camouflage will not last forever."

"I am aware. Still, I appreciate the warning." the Arbiter said. "Approaching enemy emplacements. Engaging Battlenet silence."

R'tas nodded. He turned to Narsk. "Record all you can pick up, and for now, shut down our transmitter. No point in accidentally revealing the Arbiter before he's ready."

Narsk nodded, and made the necessary adjustments to their com equipment. R'tas listened, as one of their own sneaked up on a pair of Heretic Sangheili.

"Any word on our missing brothers?" the first of the Heretics asked. R'tas frowned. These were the first Heretics they'd encountered. Had someone preceded them here?

"Still nothing, and given what sleeps here, I fear they are lost." the second said. R'tas focused on the words. Something that sleeps here, and that they fear to awaken. And that they assumed that killed their brothers. Why did this seem familiar to R'tas?

"Surely the Oracle will protect us?" the first asked. R'tas perked up from his seat. _An Oracle? Here?_

No. an Oracle wouldn't side with these Heretics. It was likely merely someone of high rank.

"Perhaps. But his sentinels and enforcers are too few." the second answered. "Better we protect ourselves."

"You're right. Still, I would kill to have a Squad of Sang'Katarn warriors here."

"Even if our Battlenet broke through this static, they wouldn't answer. They have been gathering their people at their home, and no request for warriors is answered."

This was even newer information for R'tas. Sang'Katarn holding back its warriors? Word of this hadn't reached High-Charity yet. Of course, the entire station was busy fussing about the destroyed ring, so word of it could have easily slipped by. He made a note to try and contact his friend Ooskoo Rotam when he was done.

"Why?" the other heretic asked. "Don't they realize that we could use their aid?"

"I don't know. But-" the conversation then cut out, and R'tas began to sit on the edge of his seat in suspense.

"Intruders! Fellow Warriors, gun them down!"

so either the Arbiter, or one of their warriors, had been spotted, and any hope of gaining new information was gone. He stood up, and readied the second lance of warriors to reinforce the Arbiter.

* * *

Thel ducked, as a Sentinel fired its beam at him.

They had encountered the Sentinels early on, as they were called in by the Heretics as reinforcements, as well as an instant response force to any raised alarms. They had currently made their way to a hanger, where a single Seraph was undergoing maintenance. They had lost only one brother so far, to fire from a Sentinel that had snuck up on them. The warrior, in an act of sacrifice, had taken down three Heretics with him, who had been too close to a Plasma barrel.

Thel, while understanding why warriors found it honorable to sacrifice themselves like that, didn't like it. It motivated his troops to needlessly charge the enemy, just for some scraps of honor. And while he was all for that, he would gladly forsake it if it meant that his warriors would grow a bit smarter, and take cover once in a while instead of just standing there, shooting at the enemy.

The fire on his position finally lessened, and the Arbiter rose. The Sentinel firing on his position had been killed, hit by 'Taham, who had snuck on it with his Energy Sword. The Arbiter fired at a Heretic taking cover near the Hanger controls. The Heretic deflected the shot with what seemed to be a Forerunner Energy Shield scavenged from an Enforcer-class Sentinel. The shot hit one of the Hanger controls.

The doors opened.

Thel sighed in relief. That was one problem solved. Their reinforcements arrived in under ten seconds, and their Phantom provided suppressing fire while the next wave of troops entered the Hanger. The Arbiter rose from his position behind a gas canister, and moved up, killing Heretics as he went. 'Sraom and 'Taham moved to his sides, and together the Three of them killed the majority of Heretics, who were caught in bottlenecks as they exited the doorways. The Spec-ops group of Covenant soldiers slaughtered them all.

Thel moved into the facility, down the levels. It was mostly the same from here on out: The Heretics hadn't yet all heard that the Covenant were assaulting their hidden base, and most were caught off-guard by the large group of Spec-Ops soldiers. They didn't meet a lot of resistance, until they got to another loading area for Gas canisters. There, he heard two more soldiers talking, and he activated his Active Camouflage in order to sneak up on them. The other soldiers, catching on, did likewise.

He entered the room, and the other soldiers took positions of superior height, cover and the like. Thel snuck up on two soldiers who were talking.

"-errun the Eastern wing." he heard someone say on the Communications, likely Loka 'Bandolee, Sesa 'Refumee's second-in-command. He had been ordered to the Gas mine as well, and had served as a back-up commander in case something happened to 'Refumee. Now, it seemed Stewardship's mistakes had come back to haunt Thel.

"You hold position, and report all sightings of either Parasite or Spec-ops Covenant."

"Yes, sir." the two Heretics said in unison.

"I don't like this." Loka continued. "The Covenant have let us sit here for far too long. And I still can't raise the maintenance hangar." there was a pause, before he continued. "I'm putting the station on high alert until we can either raise that hanger or until the blasted Parasite has been dealt with. Shoot anyone that isn't one of our own until I or 'Refumee say otherwise."

the Heretics nodded, before both moved in a different direction.

Thel snuck up on one, and grabbed him by the Throat. Before he could scream in alarm, his Hearts had been pierced by Thel's sword. The other vanished shortly after that, taken down by either 'Sraom or 'Taham. The group moved on.

After a moment, they came to a small balcony, on which a few small Banshees were parked. They looked slightly different, having different colors, and more panels open. It appeared to be modified for the weather of the gas giant this station orbited.

And standing right outside, wearing a rebreather and goggles, was 'Refumee. He stood in front of another heretic.

"Deal with the Parasite, my brother. I will protect the Orac-" then, he quickly glanced in Thel's direction. He tried to activate his Camouflage, but it was too late: he had been spotted.

"Aahhh." Sesa said. "I wondered who the San'Shyuum would send to silence me. An Arbiter. I'm flattered."

Thel moved to the window, so Sesa could see who he truly was. And when he did, he spread his jaws in surprise. "Thel Vadam? Is that you?"

"Yes. And I am ashamed by your betrayal. Why would you turn on us, Brother?"

Sesa just shook his head. "I betray only those who lie to me Thel. The San'Shyuum cannot be trusted. Sang'Katarn was right, Thel. I know this." he looked at Thel, pleadingly. "Please, Brother. Join my cause. And see why Fol turned against the Covenant."

Thel looked at his former ally, ashamed of him. This was the noble warrior who had once been Thel's friend? _How far he had fallen._

Thel looked at his Friend. "You know I can't do that. You betrayed us. It is my duty to put you down."

"So, like a mindless Unggoy, you obey your San'Shyuum master's command without question? You truly are a lost cause, then. Their puppet."

Sesa pushed a button on his wrist pad, and something came loose from the Ceiling. Thel looked up, and his Heart sank.

It was an Enforcer.

"I have executive command of the Sentinels and Enforcers of this station." Sesa elaborated. "If you survive this, and can figure out how I control them, then we can talk. If not... goodbye, Shiralei."

With that, Sesa stepped away, and boarded one of the Banshees. He flew off, to another part of the station. Thel looked at him, before returning his attention to the Enforcer.

He needed to come up with a plan, and fast. He didn't have the firepower to take down the Enforcer, and in these confined spaces, he couldn't evade its firepower forever. Nor could he hide: there were no crates or walls or pillars to hide behind. All he could do was try to-

A volley of Plasma Grenades hit the back of the Enforcer, and it immediately tried to turn to the new Threat. The Arbiter, seeing his opportunity, jumped up, and landed on the top of the Enforcer. He fired away at its single Optical Cluster. After he had run out of ammunition for his scavenged Carbine, he let it fall, and grabbed his Energy Sword. He stabbed right into it, the moment the Plasma Grenades exploded. The stab into the eye, combined with the damage suffered to the propulsion systems and shields, made it crash into the wall, and it sputtered for a minute, before it powered down. Thel picked up a Plasma Repeater from a crate, and sent a single shot into the optical cluster, just to be sure. He turned to his Rescuers.

N'tho 'Sraom and Usze 'Taham stood there, along with the survivors of the entire Spec-ops group. They looked at him. Then, one by one, they raised their fists in respect. Thel nodded back in gratitude for the rescue, and made his way outside. They waited for the Phantom to pick them up, and Thel boarded Banshee, as he covered their only means of escape from this place. They followed the trail of the Heretic leader, to the Eastern wing of the Station. Keeping the words of something having that part of station overrun in mind, he made his way towards it. He needed to kill that leader.

And he wasn't gonna let anyone, or anything, stop him.

* * *

Capital city of Kortan-Sho, Independent Sangheili colony of Sang'Katarn

Six walked with the Unggoy, as he led her through the capital of the city.

After Fol had returned for her, he had seemed nervous about something, and he didn't speak to her anymore unless asked to. As she wasn't such a large conversationalist either, the silence dragged on. Then, an Unggoy by the name of Ghanak had wanted to speak with her. She had complied, and niw, she and Fol were following him. To a private building he had.

"I'm ssssorry that it took me sssso long to reach you." Ghanak said to Six. "But assss you can ssssee, I'm not very tall. And it takes longer for me to reach you, Reclaimer."

Six nodded. "That's alright. I realize you have had a lot on your hands the last few days with my presence. Fol told me you were the head of your Intelligence division?"

"I am." Ghanak replied. "And I must say, I'm honored to be in the presence of one of only two Hyper-Lethal Sssspartanssss."

Six raised her eyebrows in surprise, despite the fact Ghanak couldn't see it. "Your sources are accurate."

"Your people have ssssloppy ssssecurity when it comes to communication networkssss." Ghanak retorted lightly. "Even a Jiralhanae loyalisssst could hack it. The only reason you are sssstil alive at all issss because the Ssssan'Sssshyuum are sssso ssssloppy."

Six nodded, and she felt Void dim in concern.

For an AI, over the last few weeks she had felt a lot of activity from Void, far more than he initially led on. She wondered if he really was without emotions as he initially claimed.

"Noted." she finally said. Finally, they entered the small building Ghanak had called his home, and he gestured for them to sit. Surprisingly, there was a human shaped chair that seemed capable of supporting her weight, and she sat down in it. Fol followed suit in an Sangheili chair. Ghanak gave them both steel bottles of water, and Six gratefully drank some of it. After her duel with T'kan, she had learned that the natural water of Sang'Katarn was poisonous, and that it had to be heavily purified in order to be drinkable. It was only a warning from a Skirmisher and a Yanmée that had saved her life when she moved to a sink.

Ghanak sat in one of his own chairs. "I called you here for a ssssingle requesssst, Sssspartan." Ghanak started. "Due to the Sssspartanssss encamped at Tah, we can't make research journeys to the city. I'd like you to talk to them, and convince them we mean them no harm. No issss a perfectly acceptable ansssswer."

Six nodded. "I wanted to speak to those three anyway. I have two conditions: They receive the same welcome as I do, which means a friendly one, and They receive accurate translation software, so they can hear anything said to them, whether it's a compliment or an insult."

after a day of going without it, she had decided to have Void display the words anyway, so she would hear what was said behind her back.

"Done." Ghanak said immediately. He stood up, and opened the back door. A Specter stood there, with T'kan Ghan behind the controls. She looked at Ghanak, and smiled. "You knew I would accept didn't you?" she asked.

"I wouldn't be good at what I did if I didn't know it, would I?" Ghanak answered amusingly. "Go on. I'll have quarters for them prepared if you wish."

"Thanks, but I think they'll want to sleep on my prowler. Still, nice offer."

she was still amazed by how civilized these beings were to her, while their kin likely would shoot her on sight. Yet, she found she hadn't mentally cursed one of them in over three days, a new personal record.

"Ssssuit yoursssselvessss." Ghanak answered. "If you ever need to sssspeak with me, I'm alwayssss near here."

Six nodded, and sat on one of the sides of the thing. Fol sat on the other. She looked at Ghan. "to the city of Tah, if you could be so kind."

Ghan nodded. "Route's already planned out. Still, it's a few hours away. So get comfortable."

Six nodded, and she leaned against the side of it. Fol did likewise, although he seemed to fidget with something in his hands.

Six, after half an hour of silence, had had enough of it. "How long do you continue to be silent? An hour? A week? Because it makes me suspicious."

Fol turned at her with his good left eye. "I have something to tell you. Something I omitted during my original briefing. I am nervous about that, hence my silence."

Six stood up, careful that she had a solid grip on the Specter in case Raptor took a sharp turn. "I know about the Challenge, Fol. Ghan told me."

"Hey! Don't drag me into this!" Ghan interjected. "I merely assumed you knew, and asked. When she answered with ignorance, I supplied the info. That's my only part in this."

Fol nodded. "Alright. Then you know why I'm nervous." Fol said.

"Yes." Six said, letting her anger creep into her voice. "You hide the quick solution for me, because it could risk the life of your bloody father!"

"That has nothing to do with it!" Fol denied. "I don't want to risk your life on some stupid gambit that could cost your life!"

"Why not?!" Six asked "My life's my own to do with and waste as I please! The Risks I take are not up to you to decide!"

"This is that tunnel all over again!" Fol said. "Just accept that others care about you, but that they can make mistakes as well!"

"But withholding important information from me? Why would that protect me?"

"Because my father is fast, strong and powerful, and I don't want you to become my Shiralei!"

"What the hell's a Shiralei?" Six asked, confused. She hadn't run across this word before.

"A friend who is dead." Ghan answered. "One of very few original Sang'Katarn words."

Six wanted to retort that Fol had to be desperate if he wanted her to be his friend. But then, the true meaning of what he said hit her.

He cared for her. Enough that he didn't want her to go up against his father, in fear that he would kill her. She was, for the first time in ages, actually glad.

"So you consider me a friend, huh?" she asked. "Gotten over your quest to kill me, then?"

"It was never personal in that regard." Fol answered. "I had no reason for it to be personal. And with what we experienced at Halo and the Gettysburg, I think the term friend would be the one best applied to the... _partnership_ we have."

Six nodded. "Very well... Friend. I appreciate that you want me alive. But what fights I fight are my own to choose, not yours. Deal?"

Fol waited for a second, before he nodded. "Deal. Glad you will now stop killing me."

She laughed. "Dream on, splitface."

The rest of the journey was uneventful. The journey was longer than expected, due to the fact that one of the many storms that plagued the surface was between them and the city. But they got there before dark.

As they arrived at the city of Tah, she saw why many people on this planet found it a beautiful city. Despite the arid surface and harrowing sandstorms, the city was very well preserved, despite the claims they were mere ruins. She could count dozens of skyscrapers in front of her, all the same metallic silver as the Forerunner structures on Halo. She could also see a few entrances in the middle of empty places, likely the original tunnels of this place.

But, in the center of it, she saw what had led her to come here in the first place: A crashed Prowler-class vessel of ONI. It was half buried into the dirt, and she saw the hull was breached in dozens of places. Clearly, this prowler would never truly fly again. Supplies were also strewn around the ship, and she could see three cloths over certain areas that protected something from the sandstorms.

She turned to Fol and T'kan, who had both gotten out of the Specter. "I'll go on first, alone. They'll likely shoot you on sight. Only come when we are attacked or if that storm comes any closer. Or if I call."

T'kan nodded. "Good luck. And may they see reason." He then went back to the Specter, covering it with a cloth of his own. Fol looked around for a moment, before he retreated as well. She noted he had drawn the Assault Rifle he had taken with him.

Six just shook her head, and made her way to the Prowler.

She was… _surprised_ by the fact that Fol liked her enough to call her a friend. The first time they had met, they had tried to kill each other, and Six had kept that up for another few days. Of course, their shared encounters with the Flood had mellowed that hatred, and she had even rescued him from certain death on the bridge of the Gettysburg. But an actual friend? She was genuinely surprised. Shocked, even.

The deaths of Noble Team was too recent for her to truly share that thought, as he was responsible for the death of at least two of them. But still, she found he was at least likeable.

She arrived at the Prowler. It was, as she suspected, deserted. Spartans never stayed at one place for too long, especially in what they assumed to be enemy-held territory. Judging by the tracks she spotted, though, she suspected they had only left recently.

She chuckled, as she heard a faint whistle. "With what John and the others told me, I never judged you to be this cautious, Jai-006." she said, as she turned around.

As expected, Jai, the leader of Gray Team, stood barely a meter away from her, with an SMG raised at her faceplate. On her motion tracker, she could see the two other Spartans of Gray Team, Adriana-111 and Mike-120, were approaching as well.

Knowing it was the only way for them to calm down and lower their arms, she whistled the Oly Oly Oxen Free tone.

At once, as suspected, Jai lowered his weapon, and the other two Spartans slowed down to a jog. Behind the wisps of sand and dust, she started to make out their figures.

"Oly Oly Oxen Free." Jai answered, looking at her. "Out there in the Free, we're all Free."

Six nodded, and she stepped towards the Prowler. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but can we do this somewhere more private? I don't like standing here in the open."

Jai nodded, and he and Adriana led the way inside. Mike stayed behind to guard the entrance to the Prowler.

Jai led them to the Briefing room of the Prowler, where he and Adriana sat down on reinforced chairs. Six did likewise.

Jai spoke first. "As much as I like to see a fellow human after being stuck here for over a year, I have to ask what a Three is doing here."

"You know of the other Spartan Program?" six asked, surprised. Jai nodded. "Ran across that information about three years ago, when we were tracking a leak in ONI. It made us more… _suspicious_ of ONI."

"A wise decision." Six answered. "I would imagine you have many questions. I will answer them all."

Adriana nodded, and she got up, grabbing a water bottle from a shelf, and drinking some of it. Six withdrew Void from her head, and held out his chip. "Can I upload him in the Prowler's systems? It would help speed the explanations along."

"I don't see why not." Jai answered. "Anyone have any objections?"

"What about Chauncey?" Mike asked over the com. "He'll be pissed someone else is in his ship's systems."

"Maybe." A new voice, likely Chauncey, the prowler's AI, said over the com. "But this is the first bit of fresh intel we've had in over six months. I'll manage."

Jai nodded, and pointed at a data slot for the chip. "Be my guest, Spartan. What's your name, anyway?"

"Just Six. My old callsign I still go by. ONI wanted my real name classified, so I won't tell."

Adriana just shrugged. "Your funeral."

And so, Six informed them all of all major things that have happened: the battle of Sigma Octanus, even while she wasn't present at that battle, the Fall of Reach, Halo, the Flood, Fol's defection, the Gettysburg, the Unyielding Hierophant, and the mission to this planet. They eyed her with suspicion when she told her that these Covenant weren't hostile, as she finished with Ghanak's request that they at least allow others to visit Tah again.

"I must say I'm skeptical about your claim that they won't fire on us." Mike said. "They were pretty convincing when they drove us away from those docked Carriers."

"You're still alive to talk about it, aren't you?" Six retorted. Let one speak, and then judge for yourselves."

"What, you mean actually walk up to one and speak to it?" Adriana asked. "No offense, but after what they did to us in the war, I can't guarantee it will walk out alive."

"It will." Six answered. "But only because he can kick your asses if he wanted to. And he doesn't." she then sighed. "Just give it a try."

Adriana looked questioningly at Jai. He looked down for a moment, before he nodded. "Call him over. Mike, don't shoot any Elite that approaches."

"Yes sir." Mike said, his displeasure about it obvious in his voice. Six tapped her own com. "Fol, come to the Prowler. The Spartan will let you in."

"I'm on my way." Came his instant reply.

They waited while Fol walked over to the Prowler. After ten minutes, in which the Spartans discussed the new kit that had been released for the Spartans, as well as weapons, Fol arrived. As Six thought he would, he had left his weapons at the Specter. Fol bowed slightly in greeting.

"Spartans. It is an honor to meet you."

Six saw Adriana reel back in disgust, but Jai, at least, had the courtesy to be polite. "Likewise, Field-Marshal. I heard you bear no hostile intent to my people. Is that true?"

Fol nodded, gesturing at Six. "Would she have kept me alive if it wasn't?"

Jai chuckled. "True enough." He then pointed at Fol's hip, which Six noticed was also absent of weapons. "If people are allowed to have weapons on their person at all times, where are your swords?"

"I left them at our transport. I hoped that in appearing unarmed, I wouldn't be seen as a threat."

"I would expect you to fight your way through us in order to get us to talk. The rest of your kind have."

"And why would I do that? That isn't rational, but rather, it's a stupid attempt to gain honor. One I'm not going to practice myself."

Jai nodded. He then turned to Adriana. "What do you think? Can we believe him?"

"He's an Elite." she immediately said. "So naturally I'm hesitant to do so." She held up her hands to forestall any kind of argument. "But everything he's said and done so far collaborates Six's story. If you are willing to trust him, I will follow."

"Same here." Mike said over the com. "It's not like we can get off the planet without his aid anyway."

Jai nodded, and then got up. "Well, Fol… consider Tah accessible again. Do you have a transport?"

"Yes, a Specter. Along with a Zealot as a driver." He answered.

"Good." Jai answered. "We'll come with you. See if the 'legendary Sang'Katarn' is really as open to guests as you claim."

Silently, Six cheered in joy. She had feared that the Spartans, in their hatred of the Covenant, would automatically refuse. But it seemed rationality had won out in the end.

The ride back was a lot slower, and a bit cramped, due to the fact the Specter was overcrowded. They got to Kortan-Sho by nightfall. Everyone immediately got off. Six pointed to the nearby mountain of Isicus, visible through the dome. "I'd think you don't want to sleep in a room they'd give you yet." Six said. "The Prowler we came in on is parked inside that mountain. A train can take you there."

Jai nodded. "Thanks, but we'd like to explore a bit of our own first, and with Chauncey caught up due to Void, we'll know where to stay away from." He then held out his hand for shaking. "Since you have a diplomatic mission, I'd guess I won't see you around much as we explore. But good luck anyway."

Six nodded as she shook his hand. "I'd warn you to stay out of trouble if Sam and Linda hadn't already warned me you guess actually seek it out. So instead: Kick them in the jaw."

Jai made a Spartan Smile, and then he and the Spartans got on their way, dispersing into the city.

T'kan stretched himself a bit. "It's late, so I'll retire for the night. I'm sure I'll be seeing you two again." He walked off, towards his own quarters.

Six made her own way to the mountain, so she could get to sleep there.

On the way, she bumped into someone unexpected, as she walked the tunnels towards it.

Kronos, the gigantic Brute Chieftain she'd met on the day she'd arrived.

"I'm sorry." She said, as they accidentally bumped. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"No worries. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Kronos assured her. He then tilted his head.

"If you have the time, are you up for a sparring match tomorrow? I need to leave in three days, due to a new discovery, and I've always wanted to fight a demon."

Six nodded. "Come to Icisus tomorrow afternoon, the main training grounds. I'll be waiting."

Kronos grinned behind his helmet. "I'm sure you would." And with that, he moved on.

Six nodded, and made her way to the Hidden Veil, and her bunk. She was tired, and wanted to sleep.

She walked for about two hours, before she arrived at the mountain, and it took another half hour to get to her ship, and her bunk. She inserted Void into the ship to keep him busy analyzing data, and lay on her bunk, not bothering to take off her armor. It could take her weight.

Fol didn't join her, as ever since he got back, he slept at his family's estate, rejoining his siblings in their home. He had offered her accommodations there, but she had refused. She liked the ship better anyway.

She brought up the group photo they had made of the Spartans on the Gettysburg. She briefly looked at them all, stopping more often to look at Sam than the others. For some reason, he wouldn't leave her mind, and she always found she thought of him when her mind wasn't occupied with either the mission, Fol, or the experienced yet odd T'kan.

She knew she liked him, as Linda had said prior to the Truth and Reconciliation. She had only realized it when she was about to die due to flood swarming her, of course, but still. She wondered why it was she liked him. Sure, he had a sense of humor, was taller than her, and a good conversationalist, for a Spartan anyway. But there were plenty of times when he irritated her beyond measure, and he had nearly accidentally shot her with a rocket launcher.

She shut those thoughts out of her mind. It would only distract her from her mission, and she couldn't afford that. Thoughts about her future and what she wanted could come later.

A part of her kicked herself in the arse for thinking those thoughts. It were those kinds of thoughts that always made her prevent herself from planning a future for herself. And for the next three weeks she had nothing to do anyway. She might as well get her head in order now that she had nothing else to do.

Yet, the mere thought of doing so petrified her. She didn't want to dare think about that. For everyone she started to care for, they ended up dead. Her parents and sister, her brothers and sisters from Beta company, including B-170, Noble Team… the list went on. If she started to care about him, she knew the same fate could happen to Sam.

And still, she found her thoughts going back to him, whenever she found she was distracted.

She cursed herself for the day she met him at Aszod, even if they technically met the first time at Jericho VII, when she was a mere child and he already was a Spartan. And she cursed him, for getting past her mental armor, and getting into her head.

* * *

Eastern wing, Forerunner Gas mine, Threshold.

The Special Operations Sangheili stepped inside, followed by R'tas. The Arbiter came next, and Usze and N'tho brought up the rear.

From his peripheral vision, Thel saw the R'tas sniff the air.

"What is it?" he asked.

"That stench." R'tas answered. "I've smelled it before."

"Where?"

"Somewhere nothing good came from it." R'tas just answered.

The Arbiter just shrugged, as he followed the Ultra into the wing.

They had cleared all of the Heretic Air forces while in pursuit of their leader. They had cleared a landing zone in the eastern wing, after finding he had landed there. They were now clear of the docking area, and Thel could see the signs of Battle: Scorch marks all over the place, and carbon scoring was covering the entire floor. He wondered what had happened here that warranted this much firepower.

They left the room, and entered an observation bay for... something. He couldn't see what it was. The mist in the room obscured everything.

He moved over for a closer look. The room below was filled with vague shadows which were moving around inside, with one group, which the Arbiter barely recognized as a group of Heretic Sangheili, fighting another. It ended up being a slaughter, with the unknown shadows being victorious. The figures promptly ejected something, before moving out of that room.

Usze 'Taham moved to stand beside him. "What could that be?" he asked of the Arbiter. Thel just shrugged. "I don't know. But we must keep moving, before it finds us."

Usze nodded, and they left the room, R'tas taking the lead.

They entered a reception hall of sorts. From Schematics recovered from a Sangheili heretic commander, he knew they were close to reconnecting with the center of the station, where they suspected both Loka 'Bandolee and Sesa 'Refumee were holed up.

A pair of Holo drones drifted down from the ceiling. Promptly, two figures materialized above them. One, Thel recognized as Sesa 'Refumee. He had modified Ranger armor, so it could operate in the hazardous conditions of the gas storms of Threshold. The other was, to Thel's surprise, a Heavy Weapons Sangheili.

Heavy Weapons Sangheili, which were in appearance Steel-golden Ultras carrying Plasma Turrets, were only recently introduced in the Covenant military, as a response by the San'Shyuum to the Demons. They had modified armor that was impervious to ballistic- and Plasma fire, and they could only be taken out with multiple large explosions. They had modified Jetpack which were in fact Plasma Barrels that held enough energy to power a Plasma turret for half an hour of continuous fire, in addition to greatly providing strength to their shields, making them very deadly and very tough. They were even given Jiralhanae Gravity hammers for close quarters, making them devastating in close confines.

The only downside to this was they had a very decreased mobility. As such, they were always complemented with either a twin or a large lance to provide covering fire.

Thel knew this one was Loka 'Bandolee.

"And so, the Colo have been drawn to the trap." Loka said. "Any last words, ignorant whelps?"

"Are you finally going to come out of hiding and kill us, Cowards?" R'tas goaded. "Or are you afraid we might actually kill you?"

To Thel's surprise, Sesa merely laughed. "You'll have to get in line if you want to kill us." he turned to Thel. "I'm sorry, Shiralei, that you won't join us. Henceforth, I'll leave you with the nuisances of this station."

The Holo drones shut off. At once, three doors opened.

And horrid creatures Thel had only read reports about ran at him.

"Stand firm!" R'tas said to his men, who were equally apprehensive about this. "The _Flood_ is upon us!"

Thel put his Plasma Repeater on his back, and grabbed his Energy Sword. The Repeater would take too long in dealing with even a single combat form, and the Sword was much more effective in these confines. He struck at one of the forms that jumped at him, and it fell into pieces. He whirled his blade behind his back, and was satisfied to hear the scream of another of the blasted things dying. From the corner of his eye, he saw that R'tas, N'tho and Usze had each also drawn their blades, with R'tas wielding two. Thel struck at another form that was charging him, and the thing lost both of his arms. He blocked an attempt to bite him with his blade, and saw that there was little left of his upper body. He kicked it into two of its brethren, and saw it fall apart.

Another door opened, and Thel saw it was in fact an elevator leading down, to a walkway leading to the station's control room. He knew the heretic leaders would be silenced if Thel could reach that room.

He and the others cleared the room, and they made their way to the elevator. As it closed, and it went down, Narsk came over their com.

"Leader, The Storm's about to hit. I cannot maintain my position."

"Bring the Phantom closer to the mine. We're not leaving until the Leaders of these Heretics are dead."

The finally stopped, and Thel stepped outside.

Into a battlefield. The Flood had already evolved enough to have both Carrier forms and Juggernauts, and the Heretics, while not having the weaponry the Covenant had at their disposal to take them out, still controlled the Sentinels and Enforcers. And it seemed all of them were floating around the central pillar, defending it alongside the Heretics. The Flood, as determined as they were, were assailing the walkways, and slowly making their way towards the center.

"The Flood have spread throughout the station." 'Taham noted. "We don't have the forces present to manage such a large infestation."

R'tas nodded. "We need to find their leaders. Kill them now!"

The Arbiter nodded, and he, alongside R'tas, N'tho, Usze and two other survivors, stormed through the battlefield. They didn't stop for anything, as that would cost precious time. They merely ran, firing and slashing as they went.

They took a wrong turn, however, and ran headlong into a Juggernaut. And it had spotted them as well. It raised its massive Tentacles to crush them...

and fell backwards, over the edge and off the station, as it was hit in the chest by fire from Narsk's Phantom. R'tas raised his sword. "My gratitude for the assist, Narsk."

"You are welcome." Narsk replied. "But I suggest you make haste, for the Entire station's overrun from the looks of it. Soon the parasite will form a Gravemind!"

R'tas nodded. "Then we have no time to waste. Arbiter, I'll take these two, and take the left ramp. You take the right, and we meet in the middle. Let's end these Heretics now!"

Thel nodded, and took 'Sraom and 'Taham with him.

Together, the three of them made quick work of the Flood on the walkways, as the Juggernauts weren't this far into the center yet. And the Heretics, while having more ammunition, were at least predictable enough that he could know when one would pop up to take shots at him, and he always rewarded one with a shot to the head for his troubles. They made it to the door in the center in no time.

And inside, they saw the Heretic leaders, fleeing to room in the back. Loka heard them enter, however, and turned. He saw them, and pushed Sesa into the safety of the room in the back. A shield activated between them, separating the two. Sesa banged at the shield, but to no avail.

Loka raised his Plasma turret. "Come on, Puppet! Show me what the Strongest of the San'Shyuum's pawns can do!"

And with that, he opened fire on them, forcing them into cover.

Thel had to admit, the Heavy Weapons Sangheili were very effective, to the point that it took ten regular Sangheili to even take down one in training exercises.

But Thel wasn't a regular Sangheili, and neither were N'tho 'Sraom or Usze 'Taham. He looked at them behind the cover of the projector. "Same tactic as on the Ascendant Justice?" he asked.

N'tho nodded. "Attack all at once from multiple angles, if one of us is attacked, the other two defend and retaliate, giving him no rest."

Usze nodded as well. "Let's do this."

They all jumped out at the same time, Thel going for him directly while the two Spec-ops Sangheili flanked 'Bandolee. 'Bandolee, recognizing the tactic, tried to maneuver himself into a corner, so he could fire in a single direction. But Usze was ahead of him, attacking Loka's rear. Loka, realizing things were getting too close for comfort, put his turret on his back, and grabbed his Gravity hammer. He swung at the Arbiter first, trying to take out the most skilled opponent.

But Loka, as heavily armed as he was, and a Heavy, had one weakness.

The Plasma packs on the backs of Heavies, while powerful and long-lasting, were highly vulnerable to fire, and could explode if taking too much damage.

And as skilled as Loka was, he couldn't keep it away from three more skilled Sangheili forever.

In the end, N'tho was the lucky one. He had brandished his sword, and struck at Loka's back. Loka, preoccupied with deflecting a blow from Thel, was hit in the back. The pack exploded, and while N'tho got out of the explosion's radius in time, Loka wasn't as lucky. In the flame of the explosion alone, half his back disappeared, and his body was torn in two by the force of it. His upper body skidded to a stop in front of the shield separating them from 'Refumee. The Heretic leader knelt at the corpse on his side of the shield.

"Rest in piece, my brother." he mumbled. Thel stepped over to him. N'tho and Usze flanked him.

"More like 'Rest In Pieces'." Usze noted.

Sesa glared at them as he got up. "You may feel victorious in his death. But do you notice all the noise outside?"

Thel, picking up on what he meant, listened. The Storm was on them now, and he knew that it would consume the outer edges of the station. Even as he listened, he heard a small part of the station, likely a walkway damaged in the Flood-Heretic/Sentinel battle outside, tore away with the wind.

"This will save me and my brethren from the Storm." Sesa continued on, as he turned away. "But you will be consumed."

Thel pounded the shield in frustration, as a door closed between them.

R'tas finally came storming in. He was the only survivor of his group, his armor blackened and the lower left part of his Helmet torn off, the gap where his mandibles used to be visible.

"Arbiter!" he started, gasping for breath. "Where is the Traitor?"

"Safe and sound in his hiding hole." Usze said, gesturing at the shield as he stepped aside.

R'tas stepped forward, slightly pushing against the shield to test the strength of it.

It was then, that Thel noticed something: On the way towards the mine, they had seen that it was suspended from a larger installation by a cable. And the section connecting the mine to that cable was only held together by three smaller cables. Cables Thel surmised he could cut with his Energy Sword. If he did, the Station would fall into the Atmosphere, and inevitably be crushed by the high pressures of the gas giant. And if he wanted to survive, Sesa 'Refumee would be forced to move away from that spot. And to do that, he needed to lower that shield and open the door.

"Nasty Floodbait boxed himself in tight." R'tas cursed. "We'll never break through this."

"Then we shall force him out." Thel said resolutely.

"How?" R'tas asked, curious about the Arbiter's solution. Thel pointed at the key element of his plan.

"The cable." he answered. "I'm going to cut it." he said. R'tas looked at the Hologram, and, after realizing Thel's plan, split his jaws in shock at Thel's audacity.

"Get everyone back to the ships." Thel ordered.

R'tas nodded, and he, N'tho and Usze moved back outside. Narsk, as expected, was in excellent position. They were lifted up by the Gravity lift the moment they stepped outside. Thel, after making sure they were all aboard, made his way up the station. After half a minute of climbing, he came to a small platform serving as an Elevator. He pressed a button, and the thing went up.

He arrived, as he wanted, at the top of the Cable area. He went to the first anchor point. "R'tas, are all our forces in the air? Can I cut the cable without friendly casualties?"

"Yes, Arbiter. Go ahead, cut the cable."

He did. He activated his Energy Sword, and cut across the anchor point.

Immediately, he saw and felt the effects. The cable-section shot upwards, and the Floor started to tilt. It stopped at such a steep angle that Thel had to grab the edge of the pillar he was standing next to in order to stay upright.

"That's one. By the San'Shyuum, look at the Station list!" R'tas called out.

"I noticed." Thel said drily. "I can barely walk now, it's that steep."

he jumped upwards, and grabbed the edge of the floor, which ended half a meter away. He then made his way to the next anchor point. He landed on top of it. Once again, he cut across it, and the majority of the Anchor point shot up, and the station tilted even more. Thel, before it got out of his reach, grabbed the upper part of the anchor point, and used it to climb over to the last cable, and thus the last anchor point. He stopped right in front of it, stood slightly above it, and plunged his sword into the anchor point. This time, the anchor point didn't shoot up. Rather, the Station immediately fell downward, into the atmosphere. Thel made his way back towards the elevator, and went down.

"That did it!" R'tas exclaimed. "The station's in free fall."

"Head towards the first hangar!" Thel ordered. "There's a Seraph fighter that he can use to escape!"

"On it!" Narsk said. "Though if he does get out, he will be faster than us. We won't be able to catch him."

Thel got the point, and got back outside. He saw a banshee drift by, taken away by the wind. Deciding to take a gamble, in an attempt to get ahead of the Heretic, he jumped into it. He drifted for a few seconds due to the incredibly strong wind, and for a moment he feared he had been to rash.

But then his finger hooked around the frame, and he managed to haul his body inside.

He flew over to the Hangar, and saw the door was open, left so by R'tas' troops. He tried to land inside, but at the last second a gush of wind pushed him down, making him crash into the side of the wall. He managed to climb back up, and pressed a button on the Holographic controls. The doors shut. Thel moved into the shadows, preparing to ambush the Heretic.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, the door next to him opened, and Sesa 'Refumee ran in, making his way to the Seraph. As he was about to step onto it, Thel got from his hiding spot.

"Turn, Heretic." Thel demanded.

Sesa stopped in his tracks, and turned towards the Arbiter. He smiled. "So, you predicted where I would go. Impressive."

He stalked towards Thel. "I must admit, I would rather die by your hands, than being let to slaughter by the San'Shyuum."

Thel, not able to contain his curiosity any longer, slightly lowered his Energy Sword. "Who has taught you these lies? Who made you turn away from us? Fol?"

"No."Sesa answered. "I did know about his defection. But he is too tolerant of humans, to my taste. Anyway, if he knew of my source, he would shoot it on sight for what it did to him."

Thel wanted to ask for an elaboration. But then he noticed a sound that had entered the room. One he never expected.

The sound of someone humming a tune.

Thel looked up, expecting another of the Sentinels or a Holodrone. But what he saw shocked him.

"The Oracle!" he exclaimed.

The Monitor hovered down, and stopped in front of Thel.

"Greetings." It said in a jolly yet mechanical voice. It genuinely sounded happy to see him. "I am 343 Guilty Spark. I am the former Monitor of Installation 04."

"Ask it about Halo. How the San'Shyuum would sacrifice us all for nothing!" Sesa exclaimed.

"More questions?" the Monitor asked. "Splendid! I will be happy to assist you!"

Thel wanted to ask it questions of course. But he never got the chance. Sesa grabbed an Energy Sword he had hidden on his person. He activated it, and attacked Thel. Thel defended himself. But Sesa continued gloating on. "The Sangheili are Blind, Arbiter. But I will make them see. The Oracle will make them see!"

And so, they fought. Thel attacked, with Sesa 'Refumee mostly defending and evading, with him sometimes deploying a Holodrone of himself or Loka 'Bandolee. He quickly dispatched both, and lunged at Sesa again. "You will see justice served for your crimes!" Thel goaded.

"How did the Prophets buy your loyalty, Arbiter? With a new command, a new fleet,...or was it the promise ... their 'Great Journey'?" Sesa goaded back. "It's all a Lie! An empty promise to keep the Sangheili in line!"

Thel, despite the words, calmly advanced on Sesa, who was tired from fighting through waves of Flood. Thel could hear them now, banging at the doors. Sesa noticed as well, as did the monitor. The latter used an unknown mechanism to make barricades appear out of nowhere to reinforce the doors, while the former got distracted, and looked at one of the doors.

That was a mistake.

He grabbed Sesa's sword wrist, and pulled him forward, into Thel's own waiting blade.

Sesa sputtered as saw the blade pierce his abdomen. Then he smiled.

"I admit... I un... deresti... mated you." he managed as Thel removed the blade. "May Fol... make you... see... the... Truth, my... friend." he said, as he fell down. He closed his eyes behind his goggles, and his chest heaved a final time. Thel bowed his head in respect to his former friend, and heaved him towards the Hangar door.

"How unfortunate." The Monitor said, as he moved to open the Hangar doors for Thel. "His edification was most enjoyable."

"I had no choice, Holy Oracle." Thel explained. "This Heretic imperiled the Great Journey."

The Oracle's light dimmed slightly, confused. "Oracle? Great Journey? Why do you meddlers insist on using such inaccurate verbiage-ohhhhh myyyyy!" it trailed off, as it was suddenly pulled away by an unseen force. Thel followed where ti went.

It landed on Tartarus' large Gravity Hammer, the Fist of Rukt. He grabbed it dismissively, and tossed it into the Gravity Lift of his Phantom. It was drawn in.

"That... is the Oracle!" Thel said, outraged by the lack of reverence and respect for the Monitor.

"So it is." Tartarus said indifferently. "Come, Regret has made a significant discovery, and we are leaving this system."

Thel nodded, and he got onto the Phantom.

He wondered what was important enough that the San'Shyuum were willing to leave the ruins of Halo for it.

* * *

Isicus, Independent Sangheili colony of Sang'Katarn.

Six flexed her arms, as she and Kronos went into the dueling ring.

Somehow, word of the challenge had spread, and they had quite an amount of spectators present, including Fol, Kal and a few Sangheili she knew had fought alongside humans on the 6th Halo. She had been briefed by T'kan about all that had happened there, and Void had recorded it. She was sure the crew of the Midsummernight could properly fill in High Command, but she knew all accounts mattered.

She grabbed her Energy Swords, and greeted Kronos as he stepped to the other side of the ring, for unlike human boxing rings, here it was an actual circle. "Same rules as normal duels: No serious injuries, continue on until opponent is unconscious, has surrendered, too wounded to fight, or outside of the ring."

Kronos nodded. "Agreed."

Then, because nothing more needed to be said, she raised her weapons. Kronos grabbed his two Gravity hammers, and held them in the middle of the heft.

She waited, trying to lure him into a berserk, as most Brutes were prone to do. Kronos, however, seemed to wait her out as well. They circled each other for a bit, but neither got close enough for the other to attack.

She had to admit to herself that she was at a disadvantage: She was smaller, lighter and definitely weaker. He had longer reach due to the design of his weapons, and she had to hold back due to the fact that a single wrong cut could kill him, while there was a larger chance she would survive a blow from the hammer. So she had to work out a plan. And to do that, she needed to see how he fought.

She decided to attack first, a single jab with her left blade at his right hammer hand. He avoided it, shifting his hand back. He retaliated by bringing his other hammer down on the ground in front of her, knocking her back. She shook her head to clear it a bit from the shock, and immediately, instinctively, barrel-rolled to her right. As expected, Kronos had taken advantage of her momentarily stunned stance, and had tried to bring down both of his hammers on her. She got up, and swung at his back. He deflected it with the heft of his left hammer, which was coated in some ore that seemed to resist the plasma of her blade. She knew this because the hilts of her Energy Swords were coated in the same ore.

She jumped upwards, kicked at his chest, and immediately followed up on it with a stab at his feet as she landed. He deflected the kick with a backhand of his paw, but failed to jump out of the way in time. Although she didn't pierce his boot, he still fell down due to the force of her blow, which he wasn't prepared enough to counter. As he landed on his back, she jumped onto his chest, and again held her blade by his throat. "Yield." she demanded.

Kronos nodded, and he let go of his hammers. She got off of him, and he got up as well. The onlookers cheered, and a few stepped forward to congratulate her.

Then, she heard a soft clapping, and she turned around.

A San'Shyuum was approaching her while in his chair. He was smiling.

"I must admit I am impressed by your skill, Spartan. Very few can defeat Kronos, daunted by the weapons he wields. And even fewer can do so as swiftly as you." his expression then grew serious. "But I must wonder what it will take to defeat you. Tell me: Would you take on three more warriors to fight, in addition to Kronos?"

the other onlookers fell silent, and were looking either at her, or at the Prophet in the chair. Six nodded. "I would, if I got to choose the fighters."

she understood that with this, she had accepted a challenge. The Prophet wanted to see if she could hold her own against four fighters. Six, however, wasn't going to back down.

She liked challenges.

"Very well." the Prophet said. "Name them."

"Fol Katarn, Kal Katarn, and the Raptor." she said immediately.

Immediately, the crowd took on shocked expressions, or stepped back in surprise. The reputation of the fighters she had challenged was legendary here, and she knew that they were all at the very least at her own skill level, if not above it. Still, she hoped that if she impressed the people here, she could speed the process of getting to talk to the council along.

The Prophet merely raised his eyebrows. "An interesting choice. But an acceptable one. When do you wish to fight them?"

Six smiled behind her visor, and she reactivated her blades. "Right now, as all of them are here."

Fol laughed out loud. "And here people doubted you were crazy." he said to the gathering. Most laughed nervously. Six thought she heard a few human chuckles, but ignored it for the moment. But Fol and Kal stepped into the ring, and T'kan, who was grinning, followed suit. "But we accept, as you can see."

Six nodded. She saw they had effectively surrounded her, and any of them could start attacking from any angle. She turned to Kal first, as he was the only one she hadn't seen in a fight, and the others she had fought herself.

T'kan was mostly a defensive fighter, more effective in counters and defending than actual attacks, though he was very good at that too. Kronos used his size and the wrong stereotypical image of the Brutes to his advantage, luring opponents in to attack too early. And Fol was, like her, an offensive fighter: she knew that he wouldn't let up on her, and that he would always make sure she was attacked, allowing her no reprieve. He would also use his speed and reflexes to his advantage, attacking suddenly and swiftly.

The Prophet clapped his hands. "Then let us begin." at once, the crowd took a bit more distance, giving the fighters room to fight.

Six immediately got on to the offensive, striking multiple times at Kal, testing him. He deftly blocked each blow she made, and countered by kicking out at her face. She dropped to her knees, dodging it, and and coming up below his defenses. She jumped up and kicked at his chest with both of her feet. He was hit square in the chest, and he stumbled backwards. Unfortunately, unlike what she'd hoped, he didn't stumble out of the ring, but merely hovered on the edge, before landing back into it.

She landed on her feet, and, instead of continuing the offensive, whirled around with both her blades.

Fol and T'kan met both of them, with Fol two blades in his hands and T'kan only his orange one. Six disengaged from them, knowing she can't take on both at the same time. Instead, she kicked T'kan's heel, and shouldered him into Kronos. She then turned to Fol, and once again, engaged him into a flurry of strikes, all of which he managed to block. She tried kicking at him, only for him to block it. She then resorted for a new tactic she had tried out only recently: She engaged him in a locking of blades, and suddenly deactivated it. Fol fell forwards, and she held out her heel. He tripped over it, and while he didn't leave the Ring, he was out of the fight for the few seconds it took him to get up and retrieve his bearings.

That left Kal and Kronos, who had taken a liking to working alongside each other. Each time Kronos struck with his hammer, Kal made sure he was where Six was going to land. Each time Kal made a swipe at her, Kronos was behind her to knock her down with one of his hammers. She needed to change things up, and fast.

Then she got an idea: Both Kronos and Kal were tall for their kind, and sure to bump into each other, given enough time.

Immediately, she maneuvered Kal between her and Kronos, and immediately kicked out with both her feet. Kal bumped into Kronos with the force of a speeding Mongoose due to her kick, and she saw both stumble and fall.

Outside of the ring.

Both got up, but, after seeing they had fallen out of the ring, didn't approach her. Instead, they looked in wonder at her.

Six barely paid it any attention as she turned to T'kan, who had already gotten up, but was keeping his distance, watching her. Fol did likewise on her other side. As one, they approached her, slowly, like predators moving in for the kill of an unsuspecting prey.

Only, she wasn't a prey. She was the wolf, the predator.

She fainted a Charge at Fol, and as T'kan ran at her, she whirled around, and struck with both her blades against his own. It flew from his hands, and he was disarmed. She then kicked him in the jaw, and he fell onto his back. She turned to Fol, who was surprised by the fact he was the only opponent still truly standing. Six disabled one of her swords, and threw it to T'kan, whose sword had fallen out of the ring. T'kan caught it, and activated it. Before they fought again, she saw a glimpse of grey armor: Gray team was in the crowd, watching her fight. They had been the entire time, and had seen her defeat a Brute who was twice her height, and an Elite Field Marshal who has half again her height. She felt proud at that.

She smiled, and ran up to T'kan. Expecting a feint, he didn't move out of the way. Instead, he merely raised his blade. She got a lot closer, though, and T'kan, realizing she was really charging him, tried jumping out of her way.

As she expected. She jumped up, and used her momentum to carry her forwards in the air. She kicked Raptor in the stomach while both of them were in the air, and T'kan flew out of the ring, bumping into an onlooker as he landed. Six, satisfied he was out of the fight, turned to Fol.

Who kicked her in the face, having approached her while she engaged T'kan. She landed on the edge of the Ring, and Fol hammered away at her as soon as she did. Six rolled out of the way of his third strike, and got to her feet. Fol tried to kick her again, only to miss as Six jumped backwards, making a backflip as she did. She landed in the middle of the Ring, with Fol at the edge.

Fol raised his blades, and made a mock boxing stance, before lowering his blades to his usual stance.

Six grinned. "I accept your surrender." She goaded.

Fol chuckled. "Fat chance. Prepare to be defeated."

Six tilted her head. "Last time I checked, you have never defeated me."

Fol took a lower stance. "First time for everything, Six."

Six nodded. "But not today."

With that, both charged the other. As soon as they were within range, they jumped at each other. Six and Fol met blades, and as they landed, they continued trading blows, punches and kicks. It was now a matter of who was faster and who had the highest pain tolerance. And Six knew she would win here: Fol had never been defeated, and had no true injuries before she slashed across his eye. While she had endured months of torture during her training as a Spartan. And she had the scars on her face and body to match.

In the end, Fol slipped up, tripping as he lifted his foot too late during a move. Six immediately seized the initiative, and kicked him away. He went with it, rolling to the edge of the ring, and getting up.

Only to get a kick in the jaw, as Six had sprinted after him. He stumbled and fell, and as she expected, he fell onto his back.

Outside of the ring.

Fol got up, and wanted to engage, but Six pointed down. He looked, saw he had crossed the line, and he smiled. "Indeed. It is not today."

Six laughed. "You gave it your best."

T'kan and the other three combatants walked over to her. And they got onto their knees and bowed in respect. Six saw the others in the room do so as well. Even Gray team joined in on it after a moment.

The Prophet floated over to her. "You are truly one of a kind, Spartan. No one could have replicated such a feat. Not even our Kaidon, or the Kaidons of old." He handed her a small data chip. "Head over to Kortan-Sho, and hand this to the resident forger. He will aid you in building your own Katarn."

Most of the onlookers gasped. She was surprised as well, although pleasantly. Katarn-blades, while widespread, were mass-fabricated like standard Energy Swords. If Forgers made them, they were more powerful and longer lasting. They also never failed you. But such modifications took time to produce, and therefore, such blades were rarer. For a Forger to grant her such an honor meant they truly respected her.

They considered her one of their own.

She took it. "I'm honored. Though I hate to admit I never learned your name."

"I go by the title the Prophet of Peace." He answered.

Six nodded. "Pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine." he said, leaving. Obviously, he never talked much. Six turned around. Many were coming to congratulate her. Six accepted all of them, and Gray team even promised her she was always welcome to join them if she wanted to.

It all stopped, however, when someone started clapping slowly. Everyone stopped moving and fell silent, even her and Gray team, although they didn't know why. They all turned to the main entrance.

A Tall Field Marshal had entered and was walking towards her, who Six recognized on sight. Immediately, she had to resist the urge to draw her blade, throw it, and cut him down.

He had many scars of war: His back and legs were supported by a metal frame that surrounded his lower body. His knees, encased in the frame as well, had hinge-like works around them, so the Field-Marshal could move on his own accord instead of being limited to a Gravity chair. He had the air around him of someone who had authority. He had two custom Katarns strapped to his Thighs, and a Concussion Rifle on his back, like Kal. His armor was Black and Red. It was obviously the Kaidon.

It was also the same Field-Marshal from Jericho VII, all those years ago. The one that had killed her parents and sister. The one that had her captured. The one that had followed her to the Marines, and ambushed them and the Spartans while they were boarding the dropship. The one she had shot at with an overcharged Plasma Pistol, and the same one a Spartan with the number 034 had fired a Rocket at in order to stop it from killing her.

Instantly, she found all her anger at him resurface. She hadn't felt this angry since before Reach even. Since before her induction into the Spartan-III program. This topped everything else, even her anger at the discovery Fol was alive instead of a bleeding corpse near an Omager Cannon at the Shipbreaking yards in Aszod. She wanted to gut him on the spot, to rip out his spine and break it. She wanted to burn him alive.

But no. She was professional, and she needed to convince the Kaidon. She could only kill him if she issued that challenge, and from the sound of it, he would likely kill her. No, she would stay her hand.

 _For now_.

He clapped slowly, and walked over to her. "Impressive." He said. "I have watched the entire duel. You are obviously skilled, and one of the deadliest warriors of your kind."

He turned to speak to the small crowd. "I am impressed enough that I will submit to the Council's earlier wish. Instead of two weeks from now, you can speak before us in one, Spartan."

The others gasped as he said this. Clearly, he didn't come back on his words often. The Kaidon turned back to her. "Until then, Spartan."

With that, he took his leave, and left the room. Everyone watched him go, then turned to her. Ignoring her anger for now, she turned. "Well. This is a fortunate turn of events."

"He never goes back on his word." An Ultra, Thel Sel'Gath said. "He never has. He must be truly impressed."

"He has his moments." Fol said. "Still, that is a very good thing."

Six lamented that for a moment. They thought it was a good thing for very different reasons. Fol considered it good because the Humans he has respected for so long finally got the help and aid they needed.

Six found it good because she was one week closer to killing the person that robbed her of her family.

"Yes." She said, careful to keep her voice as neutral as possible, and that her anger wouldn't show.

"It is."

* * *

 **Here it is: The Arbiter's finally seen some action, and the first seeds of doubt have been laid bare. The tension between Six and Kaidon Reghok Katarn has been revealed, while the brotherhood between Six and Fol has been made. Gray team is free to move in the shadows again, and so, they will return to causing trouble.**

 **Next: Commander Keyes discovers Delta Halo, Regret meets an unfortunate end, and the betrayal of the Jiralhanae will come to fruition before Thel's eyes. The Gravemind will return, and the Chief and the Arbiter are forced to set aside their hatred for them to effectively fight common foes.**

 **Until the next entry in the Archives**

 **Gharst Omenlumin**


	5. Chapter 4

**Now, one more Chapter. The Great Schism is close at hand, and The Sangheili will be engaged on more than one Front, as they will be attacked both by the Jiralhanae, and one horror they thought had been extinguished millennia ago.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't want to be sued, so Halo 2, and all content included, beyond OC's, doesn't belong to me.**

 **Request: Please, either review this story directly, or send me a message. I had a few Great reviews the last few days, and I have made necessary improvements. if you people keep giving excellent reviews, I can keep this up.**

 **Now, Read.**

* * *

Halo 2: Great Schism

Chapter 4

Orbital Drop pod bay, In Amber Clad, Slipspace

Lieutenant Parisa Mattock braced herself, as they came out of Slipspace. They had strapped in the moment Corporal Richard Wilson had given her a crash course about how to operate a Drop pod. It was quite simple, and even Dubbo had managed to get the hang of it. Now, they were waiting. According to Commander Keyes' Eta, they were due to exit Slipspace in under two minutes. And so, she listened to the loud Epic music Wilson had blaring over their com, under the loud protest of Sergeant Johnson.

She sat back and relaxed. To be honest with herself, she didn't mind it all that much, even if it was old. It was popular under the navy personnel, and she knew some ODST's took a liking to it as well after listening to Flip music. It reminded her of better times.

When her brother had been alive.

She shook that thought away. She had moved beyond her Brother's death, even if she didn't believe the crap about his illness being genetically inherent in her family. She had done research in her family background, and she'd found no one in her family had suffered from any kind of illness like it. She wanted to find out more, but she never managed to establish the right connections. And so, she had let it be.

They jolted a bit, and she knew they had come out of Slipspace.

"Report." She called out. "Everyone alright?"

"I'm good to go." Dubbo said from the pod next to her.

"Green and mean." Stacker answered.

"I'm good for a fight." Banks answered. "Though I could sure use a cookie." Most of the others laughed at that. Banks'… broad appetite was well known, even if he had a good figure and kept up on his exercises.

"I'm good." Johnson called. "Chief?"

"We're fine." Cortana answered. "But you might want to see what the Commander just found."

"And what might that be?" Wilson asked, as she guessed he was taking a swig from his water bottle.

Immediately, Cortana changed the view of one of her screens. It showed a giant metal ring, 10.000 kilometers in diameter.

"What's that?" she asked. Just as Cortana was about to answer, she heard Johnson choke on his Cigar, and Wilson spat out his water. "Say WHAT?" Johnson asked.

"Oh, for the love of…" Wilson cursed.

"So this is what my father found." She heard commander Keyes muse on the open com. "I thought Halo was some kind of Super weapon." Keyes asked.

"It is." Cortana answered. "It is. If activated, this ring will cause destruction on a _galactic_ scale."

"I want everything we've got on the first Halo." Keyes immediately ordered. "Schematics, topography, whatever. I _don't care_ if I have the clearance or not."

"Yes Ma'am." Cortana answered.

"Chief, take first platoon, and secure a landing zone. Johnson, take two flights of Pelicans and vehicles, and follow them in."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am." Johnson said. He got about of his pod, and Mattock could see him walk away.

"Chief, as soon as that LZ's secured, go after the Prophet of Regret. We need to know why he came to Earth… why he came here."

"I'll get it done, Ma'am. 117 ready for the drop."

"Lieutenant Mattock ready for a drop." She said.

"Wilson here, ready to step into hell."

"Banks on the line. Ready to engage."

"Stacker here, ready to kick some ass."

"Dubbo is ready to roll."

Sure enough, after a few seconds, the rest of the ODST's called out. They dropped down, and they went on their way down.

It was a violent ride, sure, but she found it was much calmer than she expected. After a moment, she heard her parachute pop out to slow her descent, an d she quickly stopped dropping in as fast.

She saw one pod drop faster than the others, and it quickly surpassed her own. Her IFF indicator quickly identified it as the Chief's. she saw him land quite violently. For a moment, she feared he hadn't survived the crash. It would have been anti-climactic, to survive the entire war, only for a bad landing in a drop-pod to kill him.

But soon enough, she saw him walk out, a Rocket Launcher in hand. He aimed it at the two other turrets still active. They went up into smoking piles after the pair of rockets hit.

Soon, Mattock's own pod touched the ground, and she jumped out, her Battle Rifle in hand. She aimed it at a Grunt, and after a short burst, he died. Wilson landed right beside her, and together with the rest of the Marines, they cleared the nearby building. The Master Chief soon called out. "Ma'am. LZ is clear. Move in for landing of pelicans."

"I'm on my way." Johnson said. "I've got a good view comin' in. There's a big building in the middle of this island's lake."

"I saw it too." Cortana said. "It looked like a temple. If I were a megalomaniac, _and I'm not_ , that's where I'd be."

"Roger." Keyes said. "I'm headed over to the Library. The Index to activate the ring is inside it, if the two Rings are in any way the same. And if Regret intends to activate it, he needs to get inside. And, as far as my scans can determine, Regret hasn't made an effort yet to get it. I want to beat him there."

"Aye, Ma'am. Need an escort once we're there?" Johnson asked.

"That would be wise." Keyes admitted. "Johnson, as soon as the vehicles are dropped off, head back to In Amber Clad, and take me there. I'll retrieve it personally."

"Of course." Johnson said.

Mattock then ignored the rest, as it was mostly the usual banter she had picked up was between Johnson and Wilson. She moved to one of the two Warthogs deployed, and manned the turret. Wilson and Banks got in as well, and the Chief, Stacker and Dubbo took the other. They drove on. In the distance, she could see a docking area for gondolas, and she saw one move from the temple to said area.

"Chief." She said. "I see a Gondola dock over there, and it goes to the Temple. Wanna bet it leads us to Regret?" she asked.

"No takers." Wilson answered. "still, good idea. What do you say, Chief? Does the LT have a point?"

"I'll take it. It's our best shot to get there." The Chief answered.

They drove there, and the LT thought they would go without major opposition. It seemed that way for a long time.

"Whoa...it's like a postcard!" Dubbo said, as they came across a beautiful view that reminded her of earth. "'Dear Sarge: kicking ass in outer space, wish you were here.'"

"I heard that, **Jackass**!" Johnson called over the com.

"You are really starting to **piss me off**!" Banks yelled at Dubbo.

She saw Wilson just shake his head as he drove. Mattock looked at him. "Are men always this annoying?"

"No." Wilson answered. "Usually we're a lot worse."

Mattock chuckled. "Well, there go my hopes of ever finding a good person to marry one day."

"I heard Cortana's available." Wilson joked.

"Wilson, do you want to still have your life-savings at the end of the day?" Cortana asked immediately.

"Yes?" Wilson answered hesitantly.

"Then shut up and drive."

Wilson gulped, and shut up. Mattock smiled.

Then, of course, things went wrong.

They ran into a canyon, with only a small bridge providing the way across.

And on the other side, there were four Wraith tanks.

"Everyone keep moving." The Chief ordered. "don't stop and make yourself a sitting target. Mattock, with me. Wilson, Stacker, keep driving."

Mattock nodded, and as the Chief stopped by a building that seemed to control the Bridge, he got out. Stacker immediately took over the wheel. Banks got into the turret of their own Warthog as she jumped out.

She followed the Chief inside. They immediately ran into a pair of Grunts, which she shot in the head. She grabbed their Plasma grenades, and moved on, into the main room.

It was very defensible, and Mattock couldn't help but be impressed by Forerunner Architecture. The room was full of smaller walls defenders could hide behind, and it was slightly uphill, so defenders had a slight height advantage.

And the Elites guarding it were using that advantage to the best of their abilities.

The room was filled with them, including two brown, or steel gold, Ultras carrying Plasma Turrets. She cursed. She had encountered these Elite ranks before, on Sigma Octanus, and they were tougher than most, only topped by Zealots and Hunters. She took cover behind a wall, while the Chief fired his Rockets at the Steel-gold ones, or rather, the ground between them.

It seemed to be a good trick, as the backpack of one of them blew up, killing it and incinerating its buddy. She threw a grenade at it to finish it off, as the shields seemed to be drained by the flames.

It worked, as it flew a few meters before coming to a stop. She smiled, as she saw its Backpack, despite the proximity to her grenade, hadn't detonated. She fired a burst at it. The explosion that followed made her smile. She had a knack for things like that. When the smoke cleared, only three Elites, all of them minors, were left standing, and all had burn wounds. She shot one of them, while the Chief killed two with his Assault Rifle. He moved to a console, which she surmised was the one that controlled the Bridge.

It activated a Hologram in the middle of the room, showing a weird, slog-like being, with a crown and a blue robe, sitting in a grav-chair. She surmised this was likely what Regret looked like. He was mumbling something in a language she didn't understand.  
"This isn't good." Cortana said after a few moments. "The Prophet of Regret intends to _activate_ Halo."

"Are you sure?" the Chief asked.

Cortana appeared from his wrist gauntlet, and she snapped her fingers. The Hologram started speaking English.

"I shall light this Holy Ring," The Hologram called out "release its cleansing flame, and burn a path into the divine beyond!"

Cortana snapped her fingers again, and the image froze. Mattock also heard the bridge being lowered outside. Cortana took on a smug appearance. "Pretty sure." she said.

The Chief nodded, and, likely by Cortana's doing, the image of Regret was replaced by an image of Commander Keyes. "Ma'am-" he started.

"I heard." Keyes interrupted. "I'm at the Library, but it's guarded by some sort of Energy Shield. We're trying to find a way around it."

the Chief nodded. "Any resistance so far?" he asked. "Or signs of the Monitor?"

"No on the latter." Keyes answered. "The Covenant are already at the shield, but so far they seem to have as much luck at getting through the shield as we do."

the Chief nodded. "Orders, Ma'am?" he asked.

"Take out the Prophet of Regret." she immediately answered. "He's given us all the intel we need. Anything we actually needed we got from you-know-who. Don't worry: I'll get the index."

The Chief nodded. He then looked around, surveying the room for the first time. He then turned to Mattock. "Lieutenant, keep this area secure. Make it an F.O.B, a secure landing zone for the commander to land her troops. Use as many soldiers as you need to keep it that way."

Mattock saluted, even though she outranked him. He had a lot of experience, and he had obviously come to the same thought as her. "Yes, Sir. May I have Sergeants Banks and Stacker, Corporal Wilson and Private Dubbo? I'd like to have competent troops at my disposal here."

the Chief nodded. "Of course." with that, he moved out of the room. After two minutes, the marines she'd requested, along with a dozen others. Together, they all set up equipment and gear in the room. Mattock went to work, and kept the area secure as the main UNSC rally point.

Dubbo, the sensor officer on duty, called her attention after a few hours. "Ma'am! Take a look at this!"

Mattock made her way over there, and looked over Dubbo's shoulder. She swallowed whatever words might have come out of her mouths.

Hundreds of Slipspace contacts appeared on their radar. It was such a large amount that she doubted anyone had ever seen such a large force and lived to tell about it. Anyone on her side, anyway.

She also saw a large Space-Station come out of Slipspace with the Fleet. It looked vaguely like a Mushroom, and had a large stalk running down its aft.

It was over 300 kilometers in diameter.  
"Aw, hell." Wilson said. "Just our luck."

Mattock nodded. They could only watch, as three hundred Phantoms made their way to Halo.

To the Chief's temple.

"Damn." Stacker said. "Can't we warn the Chief?" he asked.

"And what good would it do?" Mattock asked. "Even if Cortana missed them, which I doubt, how would he evade all those ships? No, there's nothing we can do."

she saw the others wanted to protest, due to the fact it was the Chief. But she saw in their eyes that they also realized there was nothing they could realistically do. So they did all they could: They all armed up, and watched as the situation developed.

To their surprise, there was a change: The Carrier they'd been following initially went to the temple and hovered over it.

And charged its Energy Projector. Mattock would have started to panic, were it not for the new course of the majority of the Phantoms.

Straight for their position.

She just sighed. "One disaster upon another." she said, moving to cover the entrance for the inevitable siege.

Wilson stopped her, however.

"Just stop. They want us alive. They need humans to activate the Ring, after all. Don't throw your life away like this."

"I'm not throwing it away. I'm merely saving your hides." she retorted.

Unfortunately, she was outvoted in this matter.

"Ma'am" Banks said. "All due respect, just let it be. Just let them come. And live to fight another day."

"I'm all for that." Stacker added. A look around showed her the other marines had similar thoughts as well.

She sighed, and sat down against a console. The others all did similar things, either sitting down, or leaning against a wall.

After a moment, she heard the first wave of them land, and she lay her rifle a bit away from her, so she appeared non-threatening. After two minutes, a company of Brutes entered, and all raised their weapons at the Humans.

A Brute Captain approached her. "Are you in charge of all humans?" he asked in broken English.

She thought about her answer for a moment. From his question, she surmised he didn't know about the commander. That meant she could still buy her time. Bluffing, she nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Then come with us. We _may_ have further need of you." he said, pointing his Brute Mauler at her. She nodded, and got up, her hands raised and behind her head. The others all did likewise.

She let them be led away, most of them getting on different Phantoms. She noted she and Wilson were put on the same Phantom. He looked at her with a flicker of doubt visible on his face. She winked in reassurance, even though she didn't feel like it.

She only hoped rescue would come, though she had no idea who that would be.

* * *

Half an hour earlier.

John killed the last Elite by kicking him into the elevator, or whatever it was that had ferried him underwater, and closed the doors. Before the Elite could shoot them open, John shot at the magnetic locks that kept it in place. The Elevator immediately fell downwards. He briefly looked, and saw it crash into the water. He didn't see the Elite's corpse, so he turned away. Satisfied the area was secure, he walked back up.

He got to the surface without much trouble. The Covenant, while persistent, hadn't had much time to place fortifications, or a large amount of troops. So, for the most part, his journey was without trouble. He was forced to dump his Warthog a few kilometers back due to a wrecked wheel, and he had been navigating the buildings along the coast of the lake ever since. So far, the small group of Elites he had just come across was the only group of resistance he had met. He knew that would change, though.

He finally could see the Gondola he had been heading towards, and was glad to see the first real challenge: Honor Guards. They were armed with Energy Swords, and he could see they were supplemented by a Heavy. Clearly, the Covenant were serious about defending their leader.

None the less, he got the Sniper rifle he had scavenged from his back, and fired four successive rounds at one of them, knowing their shields were much stronger than a normal Elite's shields. He smiled when he saw it die after the fourth. Linda would have been pleased.

He thought back to Blue Team, and all members who were still alive. Fred, who always started doubting himself every time he made a mistake. And yet, like John, one of the best Spartans alive, and an moral anchor point for the rest of the team. Linda, their best shot. And one who always had their back, whether it was in difficult matters, or on the battlefield. Will, their best Close-quarter combatant, unless he brought Six into the mix. He always had a courageous streak, one that matched even Sam's. Six, the most recent addition. And yet, he could say he thought of her as one of the best Spartans alive, even despite her... oddities, like the music she taste she had gotten from Wilson. Sam, the strongest Spartan he had ever seen, and one of his best friends. He knew he could always count on Sam, even if he had a tendency to make things blow up. Cortana, even if she was an AI. While she had no physical body, she had been an enormous help ever since she and John had partnered up, and a person in her own right.

And Kelly. The one he found he cared the most for. The one he was closest to, even closer than Sam, Fred or Linda. The one... oh, screw it, he fo-

"A penny for your thoughts?" Cortana interrupted his train of thought. "Your brain is quite active, for a Spartan." It reminded him he had a task to do. There would be time to think about his 'family of warriors', to use Fol's name for them, later.

"Like you can hold a penny." he joked. "But to answer your question, I was just thinking about the rest of Blue Team."

"Ah, lamenting the current composition?"

"Something like that."

"Well, honor them, and kill those Elites in a way that would please them. Except the part of Six. That would be too... _messy_."

he laughed. "If I did it Sam's way, there wouldn't be any others left to kill."

"True." Cortana said. "Still, it would be a break in your usual routine, and that can't hurt."

He got up from his position, and made his way to a better position. He climbed onto one of the ruins.

He found it odd that the Forerunner buildings were just that: Ruins. He'd thought that a Monitor would take better care of his own facility.

But he got to the top of the ruins, and smiled. He was indeed in an excellent spot to fire at the backpacks of the Heavies. While Heavy Elites were very tough, he knew that they weren't invincible. The fact they had killed a few by shooting on their backpacks, back on the Ascendant-Justice/Gettysburg, proved that. And so, he was glad his hunch had worked, as a large explosion took care of the majority of them, and that only two of the Honor Guards remained. He jumped down from his spot, and made his way there.

As he got there, he saw that the Honor guards were disoriented by the new situation, as they were just strolling around the perimeter. He grabbed his Combat Knife, and stabbed the first one in the neck, breaking its shield with brute strength. It let out a slight gasp of surprise, before it went limb. He silently lay it down on the ground, and sneaked his way up to the other one. He kicked it in the heels, and jumped onto its back as it was unbalanced. Before it could regain its bearings, he snapped its neck.

He jumped off, and made his way onto the gondola. He pressed a button, and he felt the Gondola move, and to his satisfaction, towards the temple. He saw that the Carrier they'd been initially following was holding position over the Temple. So that mean that once the Prophet was dead, they had no reason to blast it to smithereens, and that he had to haul ass to get out in time.

Halfway there, he noticed something, and looked up. Only one word managed its way into his mind, after what he saw.

 _Damn_.

Hundreds of Covenant ships were exiting Slipspace in perfect formation, all in orbit over Halo. A massive Space station followed suit. This had to be the High-Charity Fol had told them about. The one that would spell their doom.

"That's the largest Covenant fleet I've ever seen... the largest _anyone's_ ever seen." Cortana said, shocked at the size of the Fleet. "Get inside the temple and kill Regret, before it can stop us!"

John nodded, and as soon as the Gondola arrived, he sprinted onto the Temple's balcony. It seemed to be part of a larger complex, but the bottom part was submerged under water. The Covenant seemed to think it's pretty important, because as soon as he entered the doorway, he ran into Honor Guards.

Dozens and Dozens of Honor Guards.

He grabbed his Grenades, and threw them into the mass that seemed to be unaware of his presence at the moment. The Grenades went off, and he fired at the remaining seven, who were all either wounded or stunned by the swiftness and surprise of the attack. They all died, as only one turned in time to spot him and raise his weapon, and the Chief deftly dodged the shots fired from the Plasma Launcher. He dropped his nearly empty Sniper Rifle, and picked up an Energy Sword. He put it on his Belt, and made his way further inside.

"Incoming Phantoms!" Cortana warned. "Too many to count... we don't have much time."

He nodded, and opened the door to the main chamber. As expected, there were four Honor Guards, along with two Zealots, four Ultras and two Heavies.

And, in the center of the room, the Prophet of Regret, sitting in his hovering throne.

As soon as he entered, the Prophet started to mock him. "So? _This_ is Humanity's Greatest Warrior?" he let out a laugh. He then glared at the Chief. "Your very existence offends me, Demon. Guards! Remove this vermin from my sight!"

The Heavies engaged first, flanking him and opening fire on him. John dodged their fire, and grabbed his Energy Sword. He threw it at the Heavy to his right, and it got speared in the head. He ran towards the other one, and threw a scavenged power drain at it, completely draining his shields... and that of the heavy and dissipating the Plasma shot his way.

He reached the heavy, who tried to use his spent turret as a club. John dodged it, and punched it in the jaw repeatedly, before unhooking a Frag grenade and throwing it behind him on the floor. He jumped away, and the Heavy tried to grab its hammer.

And, as the Grenade went off, the Heavy was ripped to shreds. John, riding the blast, landed on one of the Ultras, who was surprised by the speed of it all. He kicked hard at its throat, and John saw a piece of vertebrae fly away. He turned to the corpse of the first Heavy, and retrieved his Energy Sword, activating it. The two Zealots and the remaining Ultra stepped towards him, while the four Honor guards moved closer to the Prophet, all brandishing odd staffs.

"Surely, the Covenant's finest can do better than _that_?" the Chief goaded. The Prophet snarled. "Warriors! Attack! The Demon must die."

The Elites all surged forward, each brandishing a sword. John, smiling behind his visor, grabbed the hammer of the Heavy in his other hand, and threw it at the Prophet.

The Elites all looked in horror, as the hammer went towards the Prophet.

John was dismayed, however, when it just bounced off, hitting an Energy barrier.

"His throne is shielded!" Cortana warned. "It's deflecting everything you throw at it. Get in close and do whatever you can!"

"Thanks for the advice." he said, as he turned back towards the closer group of Elites, who were smiling.

"Surely, you can do better than that?" Regret asked mockingly.

"Sure." John said, and grabbed the turret of the Heavy. And he let loose on the closest group of Elites.

The Turret tore through them, as the Elites were unprepared for the onslaught of him. John smiled, as he first tore through the Ultras, then the Zealots. After they were taken care off, the Honor Guards stepped forward.

Regret looked a lot less smug, though.

"Impressed?" John asked, as he first tore through the leftmost Honor Guard, stabbing into its staff, cutting it in two. He grabbed the spike-half, and pinned the Honor Guard into the wall. He turned towards the other, and as it tried to spear him, he threw his sword at it, separating its head.

He picked up its staff, and held it in guard position towards the other two Honor Guards. The Guards approached cautiously, a lot less rash than their counterparts. The slowly stepped forward, each holding their staffs in front of them to prevent the Chief from having a clear shot at them. Or stab, as he held only a staff. John waited, letting them make the first move.

In the end, his patience prevailed, as the Honor Guards attacked in synch with each other, one coming high and the other low. The Chief dodged the upper one, blocked the other, and stabbed with the back end of his staff against the leftmost Honor Guard's throat, crushing its windpipe. It clutched its throat as it as it fell, suddenly having lost its ability to breathe, while John focused on the other one. It tried to stab down upon him, using its height to its advantage.

John sidestepped it, and held his staff up high, so the Honor Guard would land right upon it. It worked, and the Chief saw it impale itself on the staff, a shocked expression on its face. John turned the staff so the Elite was below, the staff above it, and the tip still embedded in the body of the last guard. He let the staff lay there, and turned to the Prophet.

He looked angry, though no less certain of his victory. "Incompetents! I'll kill you myself!" he snarled at him, as he pressed a button on his Throne. The armrests suddenly started to glow an eerie gold.

John had a very bad feeling about this. He tried to jump out of the way of the Prophet's line of sight.

Too late. The Energy was gathered, and the Prophet launched his attack: A concentrated beam, which lasted for three seconds, as it hit the Chief square in the chest. He was pushed into the wall, and a gash started to appear on his chest armor, as the beam hit him even through his shields. The Prophet's beam stopped, however, as it was forced to recharge. Refusing to be a sitting duck, John immediately got up, and ducked behind one of the pillars.

"Perhaps you underestimated me, no?" Regret goaded, as John took stock of what he had. He still had his battle rifle, but it was useless as long as Regret's energy shield was still up. He had no other weapons with him, having used them all against the Honor guards either here, or in the room a few dozen meters back, where they'd been gathered. His Sword was still embedded into the wall, where he'd thrown it when he aimed it at an Honor Guard's head. He had no other practical weapons. He took a glimpse around his cover.

And immediately ducked back, as Regret fired another of the beams at him. He missed, however, and John was still unharmed.

He had to admit, the Prophet had him pinned down. He had no effective means to harm it, as he had to get close, something the Prophet wouldn't allow with his assault cannons. John looked in the reflection of a small pool of water, and saw something that he could use to his advantage. Above, there hung a Forerunner equivalent to a Chandelier, though this one was made of metal, and it was suspended by a single cable. One that had only one weak anchor point, as John followed it.

Right in front of him.

John smiled. Cortana had once said that she could have had any Spartan she'd wanted, according to Halsey. And she had chosen John, because he stood out. Because of one simple reason.

His seemingly infinite supply of _Luck_.

He fired away at it with his Battle Rifle, and heard it crash down into the room, along with a gasp, as Regret was surprised by the unexpected attack.

John immediately jumped out of his cover, and ran at the Prophet, whose throne was partly pinned by the Chandelier. He jumped atop it just as Regret noticed him. John smiled behind his visor, and grabbed his combat knife. "You'll regret that blast." He said, pointing with his other hand at the gash that now marked his armor.

And he stabbed into the Prophet's head, and it died, a permanent look of fear marking his features.

John jumped off, and made his way to the exit. He didn't forget that a large swarm of Phantoms was headed his way. Just as he got outside, John heard the worst message from Cortana he could have heard.

"Bad news: The Phantoms are turning around, and the Fleet's preparing to fire on _our_ position! We need to get out of here!"

John looked up, and saw what she meant: Regret's carrier, the Solemn Penance, was charging its Energy Projector.

Right above him.

John dropped all unnecessary gear, and ran for it. He ran, even though he was exhausted from the battle in that temple, and all others of the following days. He hadn't had a proper rest since Cairo station, and it showed. He could feel his aching legs, his head heavy from exhaustion. Yet he still ran, knowing he'd die if he didn't.

He got to the edge of the temple, and jumped, knowing he wouldn't make it far away in time if he took the Gondola. Just as his feet lost touch with the Temple, the Carrier above him finally fired, and the Temple exploded beneath his feet.

He didn't know how far he was flung away by it, or how he'd managed to land in the water, but he heard himself splash into it, and he started to sink, his armor too heavy for him to stay afloat.

Just as he started to lose consciousness, he heard an odd voice in his head, and felt something entangle him, pinning his limbs to his body and dragging him downwards.

"This is _not_ your grave." The disembodied voice said, as he was dragged away. He knew where he had heard that voice before, the one in his head, not heard by others, that was trying to drive him mad.

 _That voice…_

Then he finally remembered, and he immediately to wrestle himself free. But it was no use: he was too tired, and this monster had too firm a grip on him. This monster that should have died on the first Halo.

"But you _are_ welcome in it." The voice said, as John finally slipped into unconsciousness.

The voice of the Flood Gravemind.

* * *

Inner Sanctum of the Hierarchs, High Charity, Orbit over Installation 05

Thel kept his face even, even though he was outraged by what happened around him.

Jiralhanae all around him were stripping the Sangheili Honor Guards of their armor, and started donning it themselves. It had been ordered by Truth that the Guard be changed, as they lacked faith in the Sangheili to keep them safe. Thel was outraged, as the Sangheili had always been their protectors, and Thel knew their loyalty was unwavering. But it had been ordered so, and no one dared disobey a Hierarch.

He finally arrived at the Inner Sanctum. He was let in by the so aptly named Brutes, and Thel saw he wasn't the only one displeased by this development.

Special Operations Commander R'tas Vadum'ee was arguing that very point with the remaining Hierarchs, Truth and Mercy. N'tho 'Sraom and Usze 'Taham were flanking their commander.

"This is Unheard of, Holy one! Unacceptable!" R'tas argued. "For ages we have guarded your lives, and now we are forsaken?"

"Last time I checked, Our fellow Hierarch, Regret, is no longer among us." Truth retorted.

"His murderer was within our grasp. Had you not withdrawn our Phantoms and Spirits, we might have prevented this tragedy."

"Are you questioning Our decision?" Truth asked indignantly. Thel could also hear the underlying threat in his tone. R'tas heard it as well, for he quickly answered.

"NO, Holy one! I only wish to express my concern and worry that the Jiral-"

Truth held up his hand, motioning for silence. "The Changing of the Guard is a very radical step. I agree with you on that." Truth answered. "But look at the recent events: A Halo was destroyed. Our most legendary Champion has defected. An Arbiter was forced to be commissioned. And now, the death of a Hierarch. In most of these cases, Sangheili were in charge of said events. My fellow San'Shyuum have pointed out something abundantly clear: The Sangheili can no longer guarantee our safety. Hence, these measures are taken."

R'tas nodded, knowing when he was defeated. "I shall relay your… decision to the High Council." And with that, he walked off, the other two Sangheili following him. He briefly glanced at the Arbiter, before leaving the chambers.

The arbiter, taking his que, walked over to the Hierarchs. Truth acknowledged him with a nod.

"Politics," he started. "How tiresome. Did you know that the Sangheili have threatened to resign from the High Council? Because of this… exchange of hats?"

"We have always been your protectors." Thel defended his kind. "Yes, we have failed before, but we have always been there for you, and we will not let up now, with the Great Journey so close at hand."

That last part, at least for Thel himself, was a lie. He would defend his superiors, but it was more of a sense of duty, rather than true faith in the Journey. Already, dozens had claimed it was false, including his Close friend Sesa 'Refumee, and the Legendary Fol Katarn as well. Hence, his security about the truth of the Journey was shaken. And having already confirmed that Sesa had switched sides after conversing with the Oracle, he couldn't help but wonder if Fol had spoken the Truth after all, on the Bridge of the Ascendant Justice.

Truth nodded. "Very true word, Arbiter. But you said it yourself: These are trying times, for all of us. And we are not so sure of our survival, now that a Demon managed to kill one of our own. Hence, why we have taken a precaution, and managed to negotiate something from Sang'Katarn."

Mercy pressed a button, and a door to Thel's right opened.

And the largest Jiralhanae he had ever seen walked in. it was a Chieftain, and had the armor of one, but it was taller than most of its kind, and was nearly two heads Taller than Thel. Blast, he was even taller than Tartarus. And he was armed to the Teeth: Two Gravity Hammers on his Back, along with a Jiralhanae Shot, and two Spikers on his Thighs.

"This is War Chieftain Kronos." Mercy introduced the Brute. "He arrived a day ago, after Regret was killed. He said that Sang'Katarn has the best intentions for us, and wants the demon dead as well. He will go to the Surface of the Ring, and hunt him down."

Thel nodded, and turned to the large giant. "I'm honored." He half lied. While he was honored by the fact he finally met a Jiralhanae from Sang'Katarn, he didn't like the fact he would be undertaking a task Thel had wanted to do himself.

And yet, as he looked the giant in the eye, he saw that it had no intentions of harming the Demon. He didn't know what gave it away, but he was too calm to be on a hunt and kill mission.

The Jiralhanae raised his fist in salute. "The Honor is mine, Arbiter." And with that, he left, surely to undertake his task.

Thel turned to the Prophets. "And what will my task be?" he asked.

"We wish to start the Great Journey." Mercy answered. "And carry all who are worthy along the path to Salvation, and to fulfill our promise."

"But, in order to achieve this," Truth interjected. "We needed something. Something you discovered on the First Ring when your teams secured the Control Room there."

Thel nodded. "Two things, in Fact." He answered. "One: No ordinary member of the Covenant could do it, for we needed someone worthy. And Two: We needed a key that was missing. One we never managed to locate."

Truth nodded. "Indeed. And, with the Help of the Oracle, we found the one on this Ring." Truth pressed a button on his chair, and a hologram of a green key appeared. It was shaped like a human T.

"The Sacred Icon." Mercy named it. "The one object that will propel us all into the Divine Beyond."

"You will journey to the surface of the Ring," Truth ordered. "and retrieve this Sacred Icon. With it, we shall fulfill our promise."

"Salvation for all!" Mercy called.

"And begin the Great Journey." Truth answered. Thel nodded, and went on to perform his task.

* * *

Special Operations Phantom, Sentinel wall, Installation 05.

Thel looked around as he jumped out. He had been brought here by Tartarus. The Sentinel wall, as they had learned it was called, was containing something that was outside the Library, and the Sentinels were constantly present, protecting the Library at all costs. The Enforcers were all busy fortifying the wall, and securing the area. Thel could see that others had tried to breach here before: Burning corpses of Unggoy and Ruuhtian Kig-Yar, along with the wreckage of damaged Sentinels. But Thel could also see burning holes in the walls, only caused by missiles, and the only thing here that could have launched _those_ kind of missiles...

Thel whirled around. An Enforcer was hovering there, Looking at him. Thel raised his Carbine, and fired a few shots at its optical cluster, centered at the top front of it. It merely raised its shields, and they absorbed all the shots. Thel tried backing away from it.

Then, two Plasma shots from above hit the thing, and it swayed a bit. Tartarus' Phantom flew past, and drew the Enforcer away from him. Thel nodded in thanks, not able to bring himself to say the words.

"Lower the Shield, Arbiter." Tartarus said. "I'll pick you up when you finish, and ferry you to the Library."

Thel nodded, and he went further towards the wall. He couldn't find an entrance, and from the looks of it, this place didn't have one. So, instead, he took a closer look at the large pillars, and examined the panel on it. He pressed the Console.

The Pillar rose, and a corridor appeared beneath it, sized perfectly for a flock of Sentinels to fly through. A maintenance corridor, Thel assumed. He jumped down, before the Pillar could fall back into place.

The Floor gave out beneath him as he landed, and he found himself sliding down the shaft. He rode it down, until he saw a fork in the tunnel. He decided for the right one, and slid into that direction.

He saw the Corridor slowly curve until it became horizontal, and he stopped, after a moment. He got up, and walked outside. He saw that he was now in a wide corridor, with an energy-based conveyor belt. On the belt, he saw multiple pieces, going across it, with multiple arms putting the pieces together. He followed it until the...

"Gharenshak." he cursed.

This was a Sentinel assembly line.

And he was in the middle of it.

He looked around, searching for the closest exit. He couldn't climb back up that shaft, so he looked for a door, an open window... anything that could mean he got out of here.

There! A door. He walked through it. And instantly, despite himself, he both smiled and grimaced.

Jiralhanae lay dead at his feet, by the dozens. There was also a lot of blood, and he could see the clear marks where an Enforcer had ripped them to shreds.

But the Enforcer itself wasn't in sight, nor were the necessary amount of broken parts meaning it had been taken down. Which meant it was still out there.

"You're close to the Shield Generator, Arbiter." Tartarus said. "Many of my fellow Jiralhanae have fallen, attempting to take it down."

"I know. I have arrived at their last stand." Thel said.

Tartarus paused. "I see. They have died nobly. Still, lets see if you can do better."

Thel just shook his head at Tartarus' challenge, and moved on. He followed the hallways, and went into the main room. After a moment, he could see the Generator. It was placed inside a protective housing, and was protected by an Energy Shield.

It was guarded by the Enforcer Thel had suspected killed the Jiralhanae. He knew because the corpse of one was still hanging from its claw, stuck. Thel activated his Active Camouflage, and moved towards it. Just as he got close, he holstered his Carbine, and grabbed his Energy Sword. He jumped up, and landed on its top. He slashed away at its claws, trying to dismember it until the pieces were too small for it to function. He slashed away at it, and kicked at it's guns, unable to bring its weapons to bear without harming itself as well. Eventually, it started losing altitude, and it drifted somewhere. Thel grimaced.

It headed straight for the Shield generator.

Normally, that would be a good thing, as it would be destroyed by the crash and explosion of the Enforcer. But it would harm him as well, since he stood upon it. He tried jumping away.

He survived the explosion, but he was still flung away by the explosion. He skidded for a few moments on his back, before he slipped off the edge. He grabbed hold of the edge with both his hands, dropping his Energy Sword. He hung on for all his life, for he couldn't see the bottom in this darkness, and he knew from experience that if one couldn't see the bottom, one would die if they fell.

Still, his hand started to slip, his palms sweaty from his grip. He had no good grip to haul himself back up, and he knew he couldn't get up there to check the Shield Generator.

In the end, his grip wasn't good enough, and he fell.

As luck would have it, upon a Sentinel who had just gotten out of an exit from its maintenance corridor. He praised whichever god, be it the Didact, the Librarian or the Master Builder, was looking over him, and let it hover high enough that he could jump back upon the Platform.

The Shield Generator was still intact, and the Sentinel Wall was still up. But its casing and the Shield around the generator itself was gone. Thel grabbed a grenade, and threw it at the Generator. It blew up, and he could see that the Sentinel Wall was no more. The moment it dropped, though, he heard a loud scream. One he had heard only a few days ago, on the Threshold Gas Mine.

The Screams of the Flood.

Thel got up to the edge of the Platform, and looked down. Below, on the other side of the shield, he could see them: Hundreds of various Flood forms, including a few he hadn't seen before. They all were at the edge of the wall now, climbing over one another in order to get out.

They had been wrong. The Sentinel Wall hadn't been built to keep them out, but rather to contain the Flood within.

"Tartarus, Watch out!" He called over the com. Reservations about the Jiralhanae be damned, but the Covenant and the Hierarchs had to be warned about the Flood. "The Parasite was contained within. The fall of the wall has allowed us to pass through now, but the Flood can get out as well."

"I can see them." Tartarus said. "I'll pick you up, and ferry you directly to the Library."

Thel nodded, and waited as the Phantom got to him. After a minute, he heard it approach. But, as he looked at the dock, his Heart sank.

Five Enforcers were emerging from a hole in the wall, and were making their way to the Phantom.

"Blasted Machines!" Tartarus cursed. "Meet me at the Library, Arbiter. I'll draw them off."

Thel nodded, and watched as Tartarus fired on all of them, and drew them down, closer to the Flood. Thel rose his fist in thanks, and moved through the facility, as the Flood battled the Sentinels and Enforcers. And now, as Thel could see, High-Charity was dropping its own troops into the mix as well.

Thel cursed himself. Didn't they learn from Stewardship's mistakes back on the First Halo? They should just blast it from orbit, instead of just throwing more bodies at them to feed upon. But then again, they didn't dare fire in fear of destroying the Icon, and the Flood needed to be dealt with. So instead, he just resigned himself to the fact he might be seeing Sangheili or Jiralhanae Combat forms, and hope that his journey would be uneventful.

Of course, the Gods didn't look kindly upon a shamed Arbiter.

He immediately saw that a pair of Juggernauts were making their way up the wall, and were going to cross past his position. He cursed. From what he knew about them, they took a lot of damage in order to be killed, and he didn't have enough weapons with him to kill even one. He backed away.

Into another Shaft below his feet.

He followed it down, until he reached the Surface. He saw that the battle between the Sentinels and Flood was in full swing. Juggernauts and Combat forms were everywhere. Flying ships which Thel surmised were floating Sentinel factories provided an endless flow of reinforcements, and Enforcers approached the battle from everywhere. Thel could count twelve Juggernauts on one field alone, and the area was marked with fields, hills and small ridges.

This was a true battlefield.

And, as Thel saw to his shock, these Flood were smarter than those on the first Halo. Three Juggernauts worked together to tear apart a Single enforcer, with two holding it down while the third dismembered it. Flood combat forms all started using the lasers from previously wrecked Sentinels, and started concentrating their fire.

He could only watch in horror, as the battle got worse and worse.

He looked up, and saw thousands of Drop pods coming down. About two dozen of them came down not very far from his position. He raised his Carbine, and got moving. He could meet with his fellow warriors, and together, they could make their way to the Library. They would retrieve the Icon, and the Great Journey could Begin!

Invigorated with renewed determination, he moved to the nearest group of Drop pods.

* * *

Pelican, en route to Library, Installation 05.

Commander Miranda Keyes just sighed, as they flew towards the Library.

They had spotted early on that the Flood were on the other side of the Shield, and that they were only being held back by that large Energy wall. Going with the assumption that the Covenant weren't stupid enough to try and breach the barrier, she had moved In Amber Clad to a position that she was hidden in the Clouds, and monitored all activity.

Then, the fools of the Covenant had brought down the wall, and the Flood had started spreading across Halo's surface. The fools had unleashed it, in their mad drive to get the Index.

And so, Keyes had set out to steal it right out from under their very noses, and to dump it into this Star system's sun.

She turned to Sergeant Johnson. Aside from the Chief, she surmised he was the most experienced men she could have on her ship for this, with his encounters with the Flood, and she was glad he was along for this ride.

"ETA is three minutes." Hocus, her pilot said. "Better get ready."

Keyes nodded, and she went to the main hold, grabbing an SMG from the netting above one of the seats. She grabbed as much ammunition as she could carry, and stood near the hatch. Johnson and nine other Marines did likewise.

"Okay, we're here." Hocus said. "Opening hatch. Hold your breath, as this place stinks."

Keyes nodded, and she grabbed a Breath mask just in case. Even from the In Amber Clad, she had seen that the air around the Library was thick with Flood Spores, and she didn't want them to even touch her body. Hence, why they all wore EVA Marine armor, and had spare Air tanks on their backs. Johnson looked back at Hocus. "Good luck."

"You too, Johnson."

and with that, they all jumped out, with Keyes being one of the first to get out. She looked around, and then, satisfied that the area was secure, moved off with the other marines.

"Kilo Two Three, lifting off." Hocus said. "Good luck down there, Ma'am."

"The same to you in the air." Keyes replied. "I heard that the Covenant have been getting more active ever since the wall has fallen."

"Hah. As long as I don't hit a drop pod, I'll be alright. They're too busy handling the Flood too worry about a single human ship. I'll be fine."

and with that, the pelican flew away to a safe distance, ready to pick them up once they had the index.

Keyes nodded, and pointed at the reason they'd landed here: a Gondola that went straight to the Index level of the Library.

"There's our objective, People. Let's take it."

Johnson nodded, and he and the others followed her to the Gondola. They got on, and Johnson hit a button on the Holographic display at the front. Soon enough, they got moving. Keyes looked behind her, looking at the docks of Gondola's. After a moment, another got moving as well.

"Damn." one of the Marines, McKenzie, said. "Split lips must be catching up to us."

Keyes nodded. "Then we get the Index fast. Hocus, can you hear me?"

Only static answered her. She let out a curse her father would have frowned upon. "We're on our own."

Johnson sighed behind his mask, and let out a curse of her own.

She could only watch, as the Flood seemed to be catching up as well. She saw a small group of them head for them as well, although most headed for the other Gondola. She raised her SMG, firing away at the Flood. She held out alongside the marines, as they got closer and closer to the Library.

* * *

Gondola dock connected to Library, Installation 05

Thel ran up the ramp to the other Gondola, along with R'tas and the other Spec-Ops Sangheili who had managed to survive so far.

Thel had linked up with the other drop pods, whose occupants had been led by R'tas. After linking up, they had all traveled towards the Library, after the Arbiter informed them about his mission. R'tas and his men had escorted the Arbiter through the territory, even at a cost of his own men. But, after hours of fighting, including fending off a group of Flood manning vehicles, they had finally arrived at the Gondola. From here, it would be a straight shot to the Library.

A loud chunk sounded, and all of them looked to their right. Another Gondola got moving, and Thel could faintly hear human weapons fire.

"More humans?" R'tas asked.

"They must also be after the Icon." Thel answered. "We mu-"

A loud Flood screech interrupted him. Thel moved to engage, but R'tas stopped him. "On your way, Arbiter." The commander said, as he brandished his Energy Sword. "I'll deal with these beasts. Take my warriors, and retrieve the Icon."

Thel nodded. "Good luck." and with that, R'tas stormed off, eager to engage the hated parasite.

Thel pushed a button on the console. Their gondola got moving as well, and it traveled at the same speed as that of the humans.

After a moment, he heard a Phantom, and he looked up.

"I see that Coward didn't join you." Tartarus said. "I'll do what I can to keep the Flood off your back."

Thel nodded, though he could see the other Sangheili weren't happy about the Chieftain's presence.

"How Courageous." one said sarcastically. "Nice and safe in his Phantom."

"Ignore the Braggart." his superior said. "Prepare yourselves."

Thel nodded, and together, they watches as swarms of Flood headed their way. The Arbiter activated both his Energy Swords, and cut through the majority of them. The Phantom blasted through a few of them, though Thel noted it still kept its distance. After a moment, more ballistic fire from the other Gondola hit his position.

"Humans!" Tartarus shouted. "I'll Get them!"

"That fool! He'll alert them to our presence!" The same Sangheili said. "Is he mad?"

"Look on the Bright side." His superior said. "Maybe they'll shoot _him_ down."

At this, most Sangheili laughed, mocking the Jiralhanae's stupidity.

They were arriving, however, and Thel prepared himself.

"I'll go after the Icon." he said. "Keep this Gondola secure. It might be our only way out of here."

The other Sangheili nodded. "May the Gods smile upon you, Arbiter."

Thel nodded in thanks, and moved inside the Library. It was surprisingly empty, considering it was in the middle of Flood-controlled territory. He made his way through the debris.

Thel found two Humans, guarding a Threshold against Flood Infection forms. After they shot the last one, Thel deactivated his Camouflage, and stabbed both of them in the chest. He then made his way through the Threshold. He spotted a human holding a cable, jumping at the Index. After a few tries, she got it. The Cable slipped, but another human, a dark-skinned one wearing full body armor, caught it just in time. He waited so both humans were safely on the ground, before he moved towards them.

"McKenzie, Perez, How's our exit?" the Dark-skin asked. After a moment of silence, he repeated his request. He then turned to the female, who was slimmer and had a more curved figure. "We've got trouble." he said. The female nodded, and raised her SMG. He moved slowly forwards, past his position. He slowly stalks towards dark-skin, before grabbing his Battle Rifle and throwing it off the side of the platform. He grabbed Dark-skin by the throat, and lifted him up in the air.

"How 'ya doin?" Dark-skin asked him mockingly. Thel growled, and threw him onto the ground. He stayed down. He started to approach the human to finish him off, when the female interfered, firing her SMG.

"Sergeant, Stay down!" she called, as she slowly drained the Arbiter's shields. He managed to get behind cover just as she finally drained them.

"Johnson, you alright?" she called. "Johnson?"

Thel jumped from his cover, and landed right in front of her. She managed a small burst, but he swatted it aside, as the bullets only hit his armor. He grabbed her again.

Only for her to be surrounded by a blue field, and be pulled away. Thel followed where she headed.

Straight towards Tartarus. He caught her, and hung her over his shoulder. She didn't move "Excellent work, Arbiter. The Hierarchs will be pleased." he said.

Thel grunted, as he felt a sudden stab of pain, and he looked down. A single bullet had hit him between his plates, penetrating his skin. Not enough to kill him, but enough to temporarily put him out of the fight. He found he favored his right side a bit.

"The Icon... is _my_ responsibility." he managed.

" _Was_ your responsibility." Tartarus retorted, as four of his Brutes, all carrying either maulers or Jiralhanae shots, surrounded him. "Now, it is mine."

Thel looked on, as he realized the disaster: The Jiralhanae were betraying the Covenant, by stealing the Icon, and starting the Great Journey on their own. They were betraying the trust of the Prophets. Were they mad?

One of them started dragging Dark-skin away, as well as taking over the female. Tartarus took the index from her belt, and put it on his own. "A bloody fate awaits you and the rest of your _incompetent_ race." he hefted his hammer, the Fist of Rukt. "And I, Tartarus, Chieftain of the Jiralhanae will send you to it."

"When the San'Shyuum learn of this... They'll have your hide." he managed.

"When they _Learn_?" he asked, before laughing, like he was embarrassing an idiot before he told him the truth. "Fool. They _ordered_ me to do it!"

Thel looked on in horror. Could the Prophets truly have betrayed him? And his kind? He didn't believe it. The San'Shyuum and the Sangheili had been allies for centuries, millennia even. And yet, with the Changing of the Guard, with more and more places where Jiralhanae would play a more prominent role, there was more and more evidence to support this statement.

Tartarus hit him with a kinetic blast from his hammer, and it threw Thel over the edge of the Platform. He fell and fell, and he felt sure that he would die.

When he was caught, by multiple tentacles, each holding one of his limbs. They all dragged him down, into one of the corridors at the bottom of the Library.

He watched, as he was dragged on for hours. He then began to smell it. The massive stench. The stench of decay and death. He realized with horror what grabbed him, and immediately wrestled to free himself, despite his injury.

Flood Tentacles had him. Tentacles attached to a Gravemind.

He watched, as he was dragged to an empty chamber. He saw it: A large Plant-shaped being, with multiple Tentacles around it. It had someone else on its grasp as well. It turned to him, and he immediately stopped struggling.

"Relax." The Demon said. "I'd rather not piss this thing off."

"Demon!" he said in anger.

The Gravemind huffed in amusement. He held the Demon a little higher. "This one is machine and nerve, and has his mind _concluded_." he then lowered the Demon, and put Thel a little higher. "This one is but flesh and Faith, and is the more _deluded_."

Thel took mild offense at being called deluded, but didn't argue the point. It would be a wasted effort. Instead, he just voiced what he wanted. "Kill me or release me, Parasite. But do not waste my time with _talk_."

"There is much talk. And I have listened, through rock and metal and time." it brought up two more tentacles, before continuing. "Now I shall talk, and _you_ shall listen."

Thel looked closer at the two tentacles. And his face turned to horror. Both were unimaginable. Unspeakable. And yet, they were here, right in front of him.

An Oracle and a Hierarch. Both corrupted by the Flood. Both at its whim.

"Greetings." the Monitor said. "I am 2401 Penitent Tangent. I am the Monitor of Installation 05."

"And... I am the Prophet of Regret. Councilor most high... Hierarch of the Covenant." he managed between painful gasps.

Penitent looked at the Demon. "A Reclaimer? _Here_? At last! We have much to do. This installation has to be activated in order to control this outbreak"

It turned away, as Regret drew its attention. " _You stay where you are!_ Nothing can be done until my Sermon is complete!" he yelled.

"Not true." The Monitor retorted. "This installation has a successful utilization record of 1.2 trillion simulated and one actual. It is ready to fire on _demand_."

Thel looked confused? The Monitor spoke of madness. How could it have done such a thing, testing Halo by using it, achieving the Journey without anyone present? It further cemented his doubts in the Journey. More and more voices were saying that he shouldn't believe in the Journey. He didn't know what to believe anymore.

"Of all the objects..." Regret managed. "our lords left behind... there are none so _worthless_ as these Oracles." he started to yell. "They know nothing of the Great Journey!"

"And _You_ know nothing about _Containment_!" Penitent retorted. "You have shown a complete _disregard_ for even the most basic protocols!"

"This one's _containment_ " it let out a disgusted huff. "and this one's ' _Great Journey_ ' are the same." it dropped away the tentacles, and Thel could see that Regret was scared what the Gravemind might do to it.

"Your Prophets have promised you freedom from a doomed existence, but you will find no salvation on this ring." the Gravemind said to him, not so much out loud, as _inside_ his head. Was it a Telepath? It wouldn't surprise Thel. But it continued on. And so, as the Gravemind said, he listened.

"Those who built this place _knew_ what the wrought. Do _not_ mistake their intent, or all will perish, as they did _before_."

Thel was a bit reassured. He knew that a Gravemind would try to tempt him to join it, and help him destroy it's enemies, as it had done with Mendicant Bias. Thel knew history well, and so, he was reassured: he was doing the right thing by assuring the Great Journey.

And still, he found his doubt still remained.

"This thing is right." The Demon said. "Halo is a _weapon_. Your Prophets are making a big mistake."

"Your ignorance already destroyed one of the sacred rings, Demon. It _shall_ _not_ harm another." Thel persisted. "Even while my kind is being betrayed, we will do everything to preserve it."

"If you will not hear the _Truth_ ," The Gravemind said. "then I will _show_ it to you. There _is_ still time to _stop_ the key from turning, but _first_ it must be found."

It held up first the Demon, then him. As he was held up high, an image flashed through his mind, one of a Forerunner building he hadn't seen before. Somehow, like the information was provided by a data link, he instantly knew it was Halo's control room.

" _You_ will search _one_ likely spot, and _you_ will search _another_. Fate had made us meet as foes. But this Ring will make us _Brothers_." it started to slowly move them away. "The Great Schism is at hand, and many are involved in the fight. Use the allies you have or die without a light."

Thel could only ponder the last bit, but he disappeared in a bit of light. But then, out of it, he reappeared. His stomach felt like it was turned upside down, but otherwise, he was fine. He even found his wound was gone.

 _Use the allies you have._

 _This Ring will make us Brothers._

He could work with that. He saw to his right a Covenant Crate, and walked over to it. It held multiple weapons, including an Energy Sword. He also found a pair of Plasma Rifles, and attached them to his Thighs.

He set out, trying to find allies, and discover what the hell was _really_ going on concerning the Great Journey.

* * *

Prison facility, Surface, Near Installation 05 Control room.

Parisa Mattock sat in her cell, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

They had been put here immediately after the Brutes had taken them from their improvised base. They had been searched and stripped of weapons, and been put in here, occasionally throw food so they didn't starve.

However, she knew things didn't go as planned, as she saw Elites and Hunters being put in cells as well. As was happening right now. An Elite pilot, who resisted all the way, was beaten up, before the shield on her cell deactivated, and he was thrown inside, into her. Before either of them could get up, the shield reactivated, and the Brutes moved away from their cell.

Mattock got up, and once again, sat in the Corner. The Elite, however, hadn't figured out the strength of the Shield yet, and so, pounded away at it, with the occasional kick as well. After about a minute, he gave up, and sat down as well.

Mattock looked at the Elite for a moment. If she could organize a truce between the humans and the other prisoners, however temporary it may be, they might have a chance of getting out of here. Especially since they didn't search her boots or gloves, both of which had small knives hidden in them. Still, she needed to convince at least one of the Elites, for most wouldn't listen to a human.

She moved over to the Elite, and sat down in front of it. She discreetly activated her com headset, letting Wilson, Dubbo and the other marines imprisoned here, listen in. Hopefully, at least one would catch on to her plan.

"So." she said to the Elite. "What are you here for?"

The Elite looked at her for a moment, before he dropped his head. Mattock grimaced. Clearly, she wasn't cellmate to one of the talkative ones. She was ab-

"Feud between the Jira- with the Brutes and Elites. My kind is being hunted down, and I am imprisoned here. I'm lucky they didn't use me as prey to hunt down for sport."

Mattock nodded. "At least you know why you are here. Me? I don't have a clue why I might still be alive."

The Elite looked at her. "I do. They need a Human to activate the Ring. Other species can't do it."

She frowned. "How so?"

"No clue. But you aren't talking to me out of boredom. What's your game, Human?"

Mattock smiled. This one, at least, was straight to the point. "I'll be frank: I hate your kind. But we have a common foe. I'll bet you hate the Brutes as much as I do. So I have a proposal."

The Elite leaned forward, intrigued. "Continue."

"We work together, all of us. Human, Elite and Hunter. Once we escape, and the Brutes are all dead, then we each go our own way. But until we do, we work together to get out of here. Deal?"

from the corner of her eye, she saw Wilson look up, catching on to her plan. Immediately, he started talking to the Elites in the cell right next to him. Dubbo moved to the Hunters in his cell as well, though he was cautious in his approach. They could smash him to pulp if they wanted to, after all.

The Elite nodded. "Deal. What's your name? I don't wall to call you long-hair the entire time we're here."

"Mattock." she answered. "Yours?"

"Narsk."

she nodded. "Well, Narsk, until there is a distraction we can use, there's not much we can do. Shall we play a game to pass the time?" she grabbed the dices she had smuggled with her into the cell. He nodded, and they played. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, as they listened how Wilson and the others spread the word around the block, without the dumb Brutes noticing. She smiled. They might make it out of here after all.

* * *

High Council Chamber, High Charity, Orbit over Installation 05

John shook his head, as he emerged from the portal he'd been sent through by the Gravemind. He knew he had to take care of it later, but for now, he had to retrieve the Index. And according to the Gravemind, it could be here. And so, he looked around.

A Grunt stood in front of him, staring at him in shock.

"Boo." he said.

The Grunt, already in shock, ran for it, throwing its Needler into the air in panic. He caught it, and aimed right ahead of him.

Right at the remaining two Prophets, one of which was holding the Index. It looked like the Gravemind was right, after all.

"Kill the Demon!" the red-robed one holding the Index yelled, as the Platform he was sitting on in his throne lowered. John ran after him, but he was too late: The Platform slid shut in front of him. He grimaced. It looked like he was in for a wild goose-chase.

Of course, if he could take care of these Brutes.

There were four of them in here, all of them Honor Guards. They all had red Plasma Rifles in their hands. And John was surrounded by them, with only a Needler and his Combat knife as a weapon.

Piece of cake.

"I'm guessing you don't want to talk to me." he quipped, as the Brutes snarled at him. John smiled, and picked up a second Needler another Grunt had dropped near the now-dropped Platform. He aimed at one Brute, and held down the trigger of both Needlers.

He smiled, as a large cloud of Needles flew towards the Closest Brute, and the natural occurrence of all Needles exploding if they were all embedded in the same target happened here as well. It ripped the Brute apart, as the reaction started near the thing's head.

"Cortana." he said. "Enhance my reaction time. I'll need it here."

"Done. Also, I'm hacking into their com, and I'm starting to track down that Prophet, Truth. But for now, Heed Six' advice and keep your distance."

John nodded, and he jumped up as one tried to berserk on him. He noted he jumped up a lot earlier and higher thanks to Cortana enhancing his reflexes. He landed behind it, and ran towards the wall for cover.

To his surprise, the wall had a Weapons crate next to it, filled with weapons.

John gladly picked up the additional weapons, including a Brute Plasma Rifle and the Concussion Rifle, along with Plasma and Spike grenades.

He whirled around the corner, and threw a Spike Grenade at one of the Brute honor guards. The many spikes managed to pierce through the armor, and multiple of them entered its head. John saw it topple.

That left two of them.

He aimed his Concussion Rifle at the Ground below him as the Brutes Charged him, and jumped. At the apex of his jump, he fired, giving him a few more meters of height in his jump... and allowing him to land on the side benches other councilors seemed to watch the proceedings from. He ran for the door, and for a moment, it appeared to be locked.

"Cortana, can you hack these doors?"

"Put me down in one of the pedestals near the door." she ordered. John complied, and removed her chip, letting her transfer herself into High-Charity's systems before putting it back in his head.

He then looked up, as a Brute made an announcement, translated by Cortana.

"The Demon has infiltrated the Council Chamber?! Seal all exits! Drain the Air from his lungs!"

Cortana laughed. "Oh, I don't think so."

at that moment, the light of the door in front of him turned purple, and it opened up. John moved through, and after a few minutes of taking care of Grunts and Jackals with his Needlers, finally got his first good view of High-Charity.

It was in a state of Riot. Whatever civil war that Fol had hinted at must have gone into full swing. There were multiple explosions, and he could see one or two skyscrapers taking massive damage from Wraith Plasma Mortars. After a moment, one even collapsed, having taken too much damage in the process.

"Cortana, can you give me a short summary of this rebellion?" he asked. "So I know which side to avoid."

"So far, there are two sides." she answered. "There are the loyalists, who consist of the Prophets, the Brutes, the Jackals and the Drones. They hold on to the Covenant beliefs, and want to activate Halo. The other side, consisting of the Elites, Hunters, Grunts and Engineers, the Huragok variant, wanting to split off. The Elites are betrayed by the loyalists, and are hunted, and the other species of the Separatists are too loyal to the Elites to follow orders from Brutes."

"What is the stance on Halo's activation of the Separatists?" he asked.

Cortana was silent for a moment. "I can't find out much about it. They're too busy fighting for their own survival to be concerned with such matters.

John thought that over. So he had a bunch of religious fanatics fighting amongst themselves, and a group of them who may according to Fol be favorable to Humanity. But they would need convincing.

"Cortana, can you make and transmit false Propaganda across their systems? Propaganda which says Humans would be willing to side with the Elites in this feud?"

"Can a Cook make a meal?" Cortana answered. "Of course. What are you thinking?"

"No matter how many weapons I carry, I'm not going to be able to get at Truth if the entire station's out to kill me. I'll need allies. And, if there are no other Spartans present, what bet-" "What better allies than a pack of Hunters or Blood-thirsty Elites out for revenge?" Cortana finished. "Assuming my Propaganda convinces them."

"If Fol was right and the Elites are more rational thinkers, then they'll be willing to fight alongside us, even if only to survive for the next few minutes."

Cortana appeared on a pedestal next to him. "True. Alright, transmitting the Propaganda now."

"That was fast." he noted.

"Oh, I prepared it earlier, just in case."

John found more reason to thank Cortana by the day. "Thanks. Now, can you guide me to Truth's destination?"

"Sure. He's hard to track, but he seems to be headed for a landing Platform behind the Mausoleum." she pointed to a building in the distance. "It's behind there. At the moment, the Mausoleum's Separatist-held territory, though the Brutes hold the majority of the station."

he nodded, and he made his way there.

Soon enough, he could hear the new Propaganda, made with the voice of an Elite. He suddenly recognized it as Fol's voice.

"The Hierarchs have betrayed us, Brothers! Cast down the chains we have had on ourselves, and take up arms against the Brutes!"

After a minute of traveling, taking care of a swarm of Drones along the way, he heard another message of the Cortana-Fol.

"The Hierarchs have abandoned us, and taken away our free will for centuries. Who have we to turn to but the Humans? Hold your fire against the Humans, Brothers, and you shall find salvation is within your grasp!"

John had to admit, Cortana-Fol sounded charismatic. He hoped it would convince the Eites.

He saw he would find out soon enough.

The Corridor ahead of him was the scene of an ongoing skirmish between a pack of Brutes and a Jackal against a Crimson Zealot and a pair of white Sangheili Honor Guards. He entered the Corridor at the Brute's side. Just before he was about to attack, he heard another announcement from Cortana-Fol.

"The Humans have accepted me! What will prevent them from accepting you? Join with Humanity, and let us fight a common Foe!"

John decided to test where the limits of his Luck lay, and decided to get himself involved into the fight.

He snuck up on the Jackal, and snapped its neck. He then grabbed its carbine, and opened fire on the Brute War Chieftain pinning down the Zealot. Immediately, the War Chieftain turned to him, and opened fire on him. John fired off two more rounds, before his shields whined that they were drained. He ducked back into cover just before a shot could kill him.

He dropped the Carbine, and grabbed the Concussion Rifle from his back. He rounded the other side of his cover, and opened fire on the Chieftain.

It managed to withstand two direct hits before it jumped back into cover. Or rather, it tried to. It was stabbed in the back by the Zealot, who had snuck up on it while John distracted it. The white Honor Guard Elites kept the Brute pack pinned. John, seeing the Chieftain was all but dead, fired on a Brute minor with his Concussion Rifle. It fell forwards, not prepared for the sudden shockwave of the rifle's projectiles, and landed on his face. It tried to get up, but one of the White Honor Guards picked up its staff, and stabbed down into the Brute's heart. It twitched for a moment, before it died. The Honor Guard's partner had taken care of the other ones, while the Zealot had chopped the War Chieftain into multiple pieces.

John put his Concussion rifle on his back, and approached the Elites.

The Zealot approached him as well, and although it had lowered it, John noted it still had its Energy Sword active, and it was glaring angrily at him.

"Are the messages of Fol true? Is Humanity willing to accept a temporary truce?" it asked immediately, and John heard the desperation in its voice. He immediately realized it wasn't anger he had seen in the glare, but desperation. And John, although a demon, was offering hope.

"Would I be standing here if I was?" John asked in turn. "If I wanted you dead, I could have let the Brutes wipe you out, and mopped up the survivors."

John was glad for having spent a bit of time with Fol, for if he hadn't, he doubted he would be as tolerant as he was right now. In fact, he doubted he would have called for that propaganda, and that he would instead have tried to take the entire station on on his own.  
"Humanity is willing to side with you. We've had no sign of hope either, and we can use all the help we can get." he saw the Zealot had no ranged weapon, and he grabbed the Concussion rifle, and held it out to the Zealot grip-first. "The Question is: are you willing to fight alongside us?"

The Zealot looked over at its brethren for a moment, before it nodded, and holstered its sword. He grabbed the Concussion rifle, and John handed the Elite all the ammo he had left for the weapon. The Zealot stepped aside. "What is your mission, Demon?"

"I'm after the Prophet of Truth." John answered. "He has something I want, and my Construct indicated it was headed for an area behind the Mausoleum."

The Zealot nodded. "I have allies there. This way." and with that, it led the way. John followed.

It was a lot easier, now that he had an escort. Sure, it was... uncomfortable, fighting alongside his former enemies. But he couldn't deny it helped that he had allies alongside him.

The Zealot paused at an intersection. "The right door is the fastest to the Mausoleum, and it will get you there faster. But the other door leads through Prison cells, where we have _humans_ and rebelling Huragok held captive. They combined forces, and tried to damage Forerunner technology on the Ring. We captured them, and had them brought here."

John thought about the choice in front of him for a second. If he went to the mausoleum, he would get at Truth faster. But if he went through the other door, he would find more allies, and rescue some of his own men.

The choice was made real fast.

"We go through the cells. We could use all the allies we can get."

The Zealot nodded. "We can't hold the Holy City. We're using the Mausoleum and the areas around it as landing zones for evacuation ships to the surrounding fleets. Fortunately, the majority of the Fleet's under _our_ control."

John nodded, and he led the way through the corridor that led through the cells.

He had to rescue some allies, after all.

* * *

Armory, 'Arms of Our Prophets' Sector, High Charity, Orbit over Installation 05

Usze 'Taham grabbed a pair of Plasma Rifles, and put them on the magnetic clamps on his Thighs. He also grabbed a Carbine, and put it on his back. Last, he grabbed an Energy Sword, and put it on his lower back. With the Great Schism now in full swing, one couldn't be armed _enough_.

The door swung open, and Usze grabbed a Jiralhanae Mauler from the table, aiming it at the intruder. He lowered it when it was, to his relief, N'tho 'Sraom.

"By the gods, _knock_ next time." Usze admonished his friend as he lowered the Mauler to the table. N'tho got into the room, and closed the door. He grabbed an identical load-out of weapons as Usze, though he also grabbed confiscated Human Grenades.

"You're really planning on using those?" Usze asked.

"As much as I despise the means, I can't deny the potential of shrapnel-based Grenades, and I dislike the Jiralhanae Spike grenades more than Human Grenades."

Usze nodded, and grabbed his own pair of human grenades as well. After they were done stocking up on ammunition and spare Plasma charges, Usze looked at his friend. "Do you have a plan? Because I sure as the nine Ibie'shan hells don't."

N'tho nodded. "According to the latest intel of a few minutes ago, the fighting around Halo's control room was slowly turning into the favor of the Brutes. I say we make our way to some of the remaining drop pods, get down there, and see what we can do to turn it around."

"An excellent id-"

he was suddenly thrown off his feet, as the building rumbled. He looked out the window, and couldn't believe his eyes.

A Human Frigate was coming out of Slipspace, and was flying through the station.

Straight towards them, and only a few kilometers away.

"Brace!" he called, and ducked under the armory table. N'tho did likewise.

After a moment, they felt it: The Frigate ramming the building at top-speed, and some of the supports being broken by the human ship. All weapons not magnetically attached to the table fell onto the ground, as did any grenades. It was a miracle all falling explosives didn't go off, especially the Fuel-Rod guns.

After the rumbling stopped, and the building didn't collapse around them, Usze got out from under the table. N'tho did likewise. The window was shattered, and the walls were all cracked. Usze walked over to the opening in the wall where the window had been. He looked down, and praised whichever god looked over him.

The Frigate had embedded itself into the building not five floors beneath them, and the walls were crumbled and bent all the way up to the floor below theirs. The ship was inside the building all the way up to its middle. Only the back part, the one with the engines, the hangar and the observation deck, were still visible. He looked to his left, seeing N'tho was looking down as well.

With a smile on his face. Usze immediately knew what his friend intended.

"No!" he immediately said. "You just came up with a plan. Don't abandon it at the first sight of a complication."

"We're not abandoning the plan. Merely... taking a detour." N'tho said, before he took a few steps back. He then ran forwards, out the building and down onto the frigate. Usze sighed, then jumped out as well.

He landed without trouble, sliding down the bent walls, before coming to a stop right beside his friend. "You know you'll never hear the end of this, right?" he reminded his friend.

"Yep. But it'll be worth it. Come on." his friend led the way, and Usze wearily followed suit. He already had to fight his way through three packs of Jiralhanae Stalkers, and he was in no mood for more surprises.

They found a hatch that still opened, and they dropped down. The hallway beyond seemed clear, and they stepped forward. Usze looked at his friend. "What exactly are you looking for?" he asked.

"Ships like these always have an AI or two on their hands. I don't know if those broadcasts Fol's been making are true. If it's true, they'll appreciate us recovering their AI. If not, Commander Vadum'ee could sure use it. But in either case, that AI would come to our advantage."

Usze nodded. He then noticed something. Or rather, he noticed something that's not there to be noticed.

They were inside for a full minute, and no humans had approached them. In fact, they had seen no movement at all.

And no targets on his Motion Tracker.

"I don't like this." he said. "Why haven't we he-"

Then, the most horrifying screech sounded through the ship's halls. They immediately froze. They had heard such a screech multiple times before: On the first Halo the first time.

The second time on a Forerunner Gas Mine over Threshold.

"Flood." Usze whispered. "Nearest exit is the Hangar, Right?" he asked.

"Right." N'tho said, all enthusiasm disappeared from his voice.

They made their way down, to the point they even ripped open a pair of Elevator doors and slid down the elevator cables in order to get down faster.

After half an hour, they arrived, and they immediately saw they had a large challenge ahead. Usze hit himself on the head mentally for not realizing this sooner.

In order to control a ship this size, the Flood needed a Gravemind. And the only place a Gravemind could fit in a place like this was in the Hangar.

And, as such, the Gravemind was here in front of them right now.

Immediately, Usze and N'tho rolled out of the way of a tentacle that was coming down. They then jumped up onto a crate to avoid another. Usze looked around for a way out.

There! A Human Rocket-hog. If he could use it to blow open the hangar doors, they might still be able to get out of here. Of course, the Flood could follow him out and infect the rest of the Station. But they had to take that risk.

He jumped towards the hog, and landed a dozen meters from it. He tried to make his way towards it.

A Tentacle landed behind the hog, and grasped it. It crushed the Hog, before throwing it at the Hangar door. The door bent a bit at the impact, but no hole appeared.

Usze saw the Gravemind move towards him, its maw visible. It didn't even speak to him: it merely opened and closed it in front of him, like he was watering its mouth in anticipation for a great meal.

A rocket hit it in the back, and it roared. Usze looked behind the large thing.

N'tho was holding a smoking human rocket launcher. He dropped it, and ran towards another door that led out of the Hanger. Just as he crossed the Threshold of the door, a Tentacle tried to grab him. He kicked it away, but another took its place. Usze started to panic as it wrapped around him...

N'tho intervened, cutting off the Tentacle. The severed thing withdrew in pain, and Usze got up. He was about to run, but something within the Tentacle drew his attention. Something gleaming, and silver. He took a closer look at it.

 _No! It couldn't be!_

It was a Monitor, an Oracle. It was red-eyed, covered in Flood Spores and half-buried into the tentacle, but it was one none the less.

He pulled it out of the tentacle and attached it to his lower back without a second thought, wielding his Energy Sword. He caught up to N'tho, who had run ahead.

"Plan B?" he asked.

"Their... drop pods." N'tho panted as he ran. "They are just... in front of... the hangar, and it opens up... just above... the roof of an adja... cent building. We can escape... from there."

Usze nodded. They arrived after only a few seconds. They saw no pods remained, and the hatches were all closed. Usze threw a grenade to blow them open, and jumped through the second they were open. He didn't want to stay in that hellhole any longer than he needed to. N'tho was right on his heels.

As promised, they landed right on top of the roof of another skyscraper. But it was a steep roof, and Usze found himself skidding away. He then saw the Monitor slip away, ripped loose by the jolt of the impact, and jumped after it. He grabbed it, and tried grabbing a handhold on the roof. But he never found any grip, and he almost slid off the roof.

He managed to grab the edge of the roof just as he went over, with the Monitor in his other hand. It had been inactive for as long as he'd seen him, and it didn't activate now. He slowly lost his grip.

And was pulled up, as N'tho caught up with him, and he'd found better grip. Usze took his friend's hand, and nodded. N'tho pulled him up.

"And you call me rash?" N'tho asked jokingly. He then saw what Usze had in his hands, and swallowed. "Where did you get that?"

"The Gravemind Tentacle you severed." Usze answered. "It was inside it, and I took it."

N'tho nodded. "So this venture of mine wasn't without reward after all. Still, if I propose we do something like this again, remind me of this moment. I'll reconsider."

Usze nodded. "Now. To the Drop pods and the Control Room?"

"To the Drop pods and the Control Room." N'tho agreed, as Usze put the Monitor on his lower back again.

* * *

Surface, near Installation 05 Control Room.

The Arbiter snuck through the bushes, as he stalked towards the nearby Wraith garage.

He had been sneaking through these bushes for over 2 hours, and he had made little progress in getting closer to that Control Room. He had just witnessed Tartarus land at that place with a Human female, the same one he had fought at the Library. They had subsequently gotten inside, and the door to the Control Room was locked shut. So, Thel had started searching for a way to breach those doors. And in lieu of a Protos Scarab, the next best thing was a Wraith tank.

Of course, the Jiralhanae had put them all in one garage in this area, and had it under heavy guard. Thel needed to take them all out if he wanted to have a chance of getting his Wraith close enough to the Control Room.

He heard footsteps behind him, and he snuck further into the bushes. He turned to see who it was.

 _Gharenshak_! It was Kronos. And he was making his way towards the Garage.

Thel had wanted to sneak up on the Brutes, and take them by surprise. But with the vigilant Kronos present, there was no chance of that happening. And with this many guards in addition to Kronos, there was no way he'd be able to fight through them all and live. The best he could do was watch, and hope Kronos was just checking up on them.

Kronos walked up to the closest Jiralhanae Captain. "Captain, I have new orders. You are to fan out, and look for any human stragglers."

The Captain immediately grew angry. "What? But we received our orders from Tartarus himself. We are to Guard these Tanks at all costs. And you will not distract us from that task."

Thel saw the Massive Jiralhanae shake his head. "Of course, I get to meet the smart Guards."

Thel wondered what he meant by that for a minute. But he didn't expect what happened next.

Kronos grabbed his hammers from his back, and brought both of them down on the Captain's head, in one swift move. The other Jiralhanae all turned to the spectacle, and growled.

Kronos glared back. "Any other Apes smart enough to resist?" he challenged.

Naturally, all of the Jiralhanae surged forward, towards Kronos. Kronos held both of his weapons in the middle, ensuring he had a good grip and that they wouldn't fly out of his hands with one good swing.

He brought both down hard to the ground in front of the nearest Jiralhanae Minor, and it was sent flying. He then whirled around, and hit two more who had tried to sneak up on him. Next, he swung both back, before bringing them together horizontally, at great speed.

With the head of a Jiralhanae bodyguard straight in the middle. Needles to say, as Kronos' hammers swung back from the gravitational shocks his hammers emitted, there was no head left.

After three Brute Honor Guards charged him, Kronos dropped his hammers, and grabbed his Jiralhanae Shot. He fired three times, and two of the helmets fell off, and the third lost a shoulder pad. They all stopped charging. He then grabbed his Spikers, and fired at the exposed parts of their body. After a second of continuous fire, they fell down. Kronos walked up to one who was still moving, and raised his foot. He brought it down on the Honor Guard's throat. Hard. He then removed something from his foot. Thel could see it was a piece of armor that had stuck on to his boot, and had cut into his skin.

The entire engagement, from the Captain's last word to the foot coming down, lasted less than half a minute.

Kronos retrieved all of his weapons and holstered them. He then looked over his back.

Straight at Thel.

"If you're content to stay in the bushes instead of coming out, Sangheili, be my guest." Kronos said, grinning. "But if you want to get things done, you'd better get up."

Thel got up, and deactivated his Active Camouflage. "Why?" Thel asked. "Why turn on your own kind?"

"I _may_ be loyal to my kind." Kronos answered. "But my loyalty to my creed is greater. I follow the commands of the Sang'Katarn Kaidon. And he said I should aid you if it came to the Great Schism."

Thel nodded, even though he still distrusted the Jiralhanae. He had seen it slaughter some of its own kind with an ease that frightened Thel on some level. What made sure it wouldn't betray him as well?

 _Use the allies you have._ The Gravemind's advice flashed through his mind again.

Thel decided to tolerate the Brute, for now. He nodded at the giant, and they both made their way inside the garage.

To find a Wraith aiming at them. Kronos snarled, and hefted his Jiralhanae Shot. Thel took a step back.

When the mortar retracted back into the Tank, and the hatch opened.

R'tas got out, and he took off his helmet in disbelief, the look also registered on his face.

"By the Rings! Arbiter!" he said, as he got out of the tank. From several dark corners, he could see several Spec-ops Sangheili decloaking as well. Most had their guns aimed at Kronos.

"It's me, R'tas. What's going on down here?"

R'tas took on a more serious look, and he put his Ultra helmet back on. "The San'Shyuum ordered the extermination of the Sangheili a few hours ago. We've been fighting a battle of survival ever since. We control two-third of the Fleet, but the Jiralhanae control High-Charity. We've been evacuating people from it ever since, guiding them all to the ships."

Thel could then detect a lifting in R'tas' voice. "Not everyone followed the order. The Unggoy, Lekgolo and Huragok have sided with us, either feeling indebted to us, or appreciating us more than the Jiralhanae. But everyone else, the San'Shyuum, the Jiralhanae, the Kig-Yar and Yanme'e, is against us. The Yonhet have fled, determined to stay neutral."

Thel nodded. He then pointed at his companion. "This is Kronos. He's from Sang'Katarn, and willing to help us."

R'tas looked at the giant. "I wasn't aware those self-righteous show-offs accepted Jiralhanae."

"It happens, though it's rarer than with the Sangheili." Kronos admitted. "My kin is too prone to berserking instead of thinking things through. Still, I'm ready to serve, if you need me."

R'tas nodded. "There's about an army of us, spread in these woods and valleys. They're disorganized, and kept that way by the relentless hunts of the Jiralhanae. Find a way to disorganize the apes, so my warriors can gather and organize themselves."

Kronos nodded, and he stepped out, disappearing in the woods.

Thel turned to R'tas. "Good riddance. I have trouble trusting any Jiralhanae."

R'tas nodded. "I agree. So? What do we do now?"

There _is_ still time to _stop_ the key from turning. The Gravemind's advice found its way into his mind.

He pointed out of the Garage, towards the Control Room. "That building over there? The Brutes are about to use it for something of their own advantage. I need to get inside."

R'tas nodded. He pointed to his right, to a spare Revenant. "Then mount up, Arbiter. I know of a way to break those doors.

* * *

 **Here, the Great Schism begins, and the Covenant will be torn in two. One mention: I will correct one of the only mistakes Halo 3 had: The neglect of the other species siding with the Elites in splitting from the Covenant: The Hunters, Grunts and Engineers. I will feature them more in action in fighting alongside the Elites.**

 **Know, that the necessary Epilogues, and the explanations for the Rise of the Legion, as well as the most bothersome insurgents in existence, are done for this story. Be patient, and read the definition of cruelty.**

 **Gharst Omenlumin**


	6. Chapter 5

**And so, the final steps concerning Delta Halo are made. the Sangheili are rebelling, the Humans are nearing their end. and so, the final mark of the Great Schism approaches.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing beyond OC's. as usual, any kind of review is appreciated.**

* * *

Halo 2: Great Schism

Chapter 5

Brig 19, 'Residence of the Hierarchs' Sector, High Charity, Orbit over Installation 05.

John checked his corners, as he and his company entered the Prison block. He and the Zealot had been together for about an hour, moving towards the cells. He had to admit, he didn't dislike it that he didn't have to shoot any hunters that he came across. And he actually liked it that some even fought alongside him. And now, the company consisting of one Spartan, one Crimson Zealot, one Golden Zealot, two White Honor Guards, which he heard were called Lights of Sanghelios, two Hunters, and six Grunts, made it to the brig.

John moved towards the closest door. He and the Golden Zealot covered one corner, while the Crimson Zealot and the Lights took another, and the Hunters and Grunts covering their exit. Goldie placed a charge on the door, and turned his head away. John instinctively did likewise.

The Charge blew, and the door's central lock melted away with a bright light. After a second, John looked back, and immediately stormed back in, a scavenged Plasma Repeater in hand.

The Brig's hall was nearly empty, save for a Jackal, which Goldie quickly shot with his Needle Rifle. John looked around. Indeed, in these cells were only Huragok and humans. One got up, as he noticed the Chief. Immediately, the cell doors lifted, courtesy of Cortana.

The Marines all got out, and all grabbed weapons from a crate that stood nearby. After a moment, and a few comments from Crimson to one, the Huragok came out as well.

One of the Marines approached the Chief, a Plasma Rifle in his hands.

"Sir, Gunnery Sergeant Benjamin Reynolds reporting. What are your orders?"

"Follow me." John immediately said. "I'm headed after a Prophet, but you can't go on with me."

Reynolds started to protest, but John silenced him. "I might head through Vacuum, and you have no EVA gear."

Reynolds nodded. "Fair enough. So what do me and my men do?"

"There's a rally point of friendly forces near the Mausoleum. There's been a splitting of the... Covenant members. The Elites, and anyone with them, are friendlies until I say otherwise. They'll get you out."

Reynolds frowned. But John could see he wasn't gonna argue. "Alright, Sir. Will you join us for this trip?"

John nodded. "In part. My targets' headed for an area behind the Mausoleum. You'll hold position there, and these two" he pointed to the Zealots "will help you to other human forces."

everyone nodded, though the Elites did so hesitantly. Clearly, they were just as uneasy about this alliance as he was.

They got moving, back out of the Prison area. The Mausoleum was only a kilometer's travel away. John saw, however, that the Brutes were doing everything they could to take down one of the few Elite safe zones.

John decided to slow down that effort a bit. He turned to the Zealot.

"Up for taking a bit of revenge against the apes?" he asked, pointing at the situation at the main entrance.

Crimson nodded. "Let's take our revenge. Oh, in case I forgot to mention this: The armory, due to being a safe zone, is well supplied... including with a few human weapons."

John nodded. "I could appreciate a few of those."

Reynolds nodded. "Yeah. Let's do this, people! The Apes are waiting!"

And so, the company stormed down their walkway, which ended at a road that led straight to the Brute siege.

John reached the Brutes first, throwing a few Grenades at the Brutes. As soon as it went off, and two brutes died, the others, twenty-five in all, turned to him.

And realized the situation they were in: On one side was the heavily defended Mausoleum, with a lot of defenders firing on him. On the other end, there were a Spartan, two Zealots, Two Honor Guards, two Hunters, Six Grunts, twelve humans and ten Engineers providing shields. And the Brutes were in a crossfire.

In short, John enjoyed the moment, as he led the others in massacring the Brutes. After a minute, it was over, with only two humans and one Grunt killed.

John covered their rear, as the others all rushed inside the gates of the Mausoleum.

"This isn't good!" Cortana said over their com, and John saw the Elites looked up as well, hearing it too.

"I'm getting confirmed reports of _Flood_ leaving the wreckage of In Amber Clad."

"Of course." John said. "As Murphy said: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

"Indeed."

John entered the Mausoleum. As expected, it was packed with Elites, Hunters, Grunts and supply crates. John could count over two dozen of all those species in any corner of it. John marched over to a Field-Marshal, who seemed to be in charge of these forces. It turned to him, and scowled. "With these messages of Fol, I expected at least one of you to show up. Tell me, is what you say true?"

"Depends on what you're referring to."

"The reports saying you, humanity, are willing to offer us temporary shelter, so we can fight together against the Brutes."

John nodded. "Would I be letting everyone stand here if it was false?"

The Field-Marshal thought that over. Then he gestured to a corner. "Our confiscated Human weapons are in crates over there. Once you are sufficiently armed, get back to me."

John nodded, and he moved over to the Crates. It were mostly SMG's, Battle Rifles, DMR's and Assault Rifles, with here and there a Shotgun. He dropped all his Covenant Weapons, and took a Battle Rifle, a Shotgun with the appropriate shells, and a Plasma Pistol for good measure. He then marched over to the Field-Marshal. As he approached, the Field-Marshal was busy getting everyone on the transports, along with some supplies. He turned to John.

"Head to the south corner on the floor below. It has an emergency escape hatch in case of fires. It will lead to High-Charity's lower levels. They'll take you straight to the Platform Truth is headed towards. Your Construct can guide you the right way."

John nodded. "What about you?"

"I have orders to gather all possible forces on the surface, to prevent the Ring's activation."

John nodded. "Good luck."

The Field-Marshal nodded, and went back to organizing the evacuation. John followed its instructions, and sure enough, after exiting the hatch, he saw he was in slightly darker lower levels. After a minute of travel, he heard multiple Transports land, and he knew he was at the right place. He stepped into the nearest Gravity lift, and rode it up.

He was too late. He saw the hatch of a trio of Phantoms close, and the Prophet flew away. The other two Phantoms hovered there for a moment, firing a few pot shots at the Chief. From his cover behind a console, he could see that a large Brute with an odd hammer and a mohawk was holding a pair of humans captive. He recognized Johnson as one of them, and the uniform, visible beneath the torn EVA armor, made clear the other was Commander Keyes. The Brute had the index safely stuck in his belt. They also flew away, after about ten seconds of pinning him down. As they were gone, John got out from his cover, and made his way to where the Phantoms had stood. He followed their course.

Truth's Phantom was headed to a large tower in the center of the city that faintly reminded him of the Eiffel Tower. The other pair, holding the Index, Keyes and Johnson, was headed out of High-Charity, likely headed towards the surface of Halo.

John saw a lump on the floor, and he walked over to it, his Battle Rifle pointed at it. He was surprised to see it was the blue-robed Prophet he had seen alongside Truth, Mercy. He had a Flood Infection form clawing away at his Neck.

"Your Pal." John asked. "Where's he going?"

"Earth." The Prophet answered. "To finish what we started. And this time,... None of you... will be... left... behind." he slowly trailed off. Knowing he wouldn't get anything more useful out of the being, John grabbed the infection form. The Prophet fell down, his throat gone. He died immediately afterwards. John crushed the infection form in his hand.

Cortana appeared again on a Pedestal. She looked distressed.

"That structure in the center of the city? The one that's an ugly version of the Eiffel Tower? That's the _Forerunner ship_ Fol mentioned was here. And Truth's headed straight for it! If he leads the Brutes to Earth, Hood won't stand a chance. You _Have_ to stop him"

"That Brute has the index." John protested. "And the Commander and Johnson. He can activate the Ring."

"If he does," She reassured him "which I doubt by the way, given this rebellion, I'll detonate In Amber Clad's reactors, just like we planned to do with the Autumn's. The blast will destroy _both_ the city _and_ the ring."

"It's not original." John quipped. "But I can't think of anything better." he moved to retrieve her from the systems. But she held up her hand. "No. I don't want to chance a remote detonation. I'll need to stay here."

John thought for a second about that. He realized she spoke the truth: Her detonation signal might not reach the ship in time. She truly needed to stay here, in spite of the Flood and high number of Brutes still present. But that didn't mean he liked it. On the contrary: He disliked parting from her. She had been a tremendous aid to him ever since they partnered up on Reach. She had become a true member of the team.

He just nodded. "After I'm through with Truth-" he started. Again, she held up her hand. "Don't make a Girl a promise. If you know you can't keep it. Or are unsure if you can." Cortana paused. "Use that advice with Kelly, and you'll do fine with her."

John didn't know what to say about that. He had assumed she knew, as she'd spent a lot of time with Sam and the other members of Blue Team as well. But this was the first time she actually confirmed it. She smirked at his silence. "What? You think I didn't notice all those looks the two of you give each other?"

John shook his head. "No. I didn't think that. But _assuming_ you know about it and _knowing_ you know about it are two different things."

"Fair enough."

they then both looked to the south, as a Pelican flew close by the Mausoleum. It crashed on the Platform right next to John's.

As it came to a halt, dozens of Flood forms, including a hunched-over Juggernaut, came out.

John's mood soured. The Flood were spreading farther and faster than he'd thought. Getting to that Ship would become a lot harder.

"Cortana, how do I get over to that Ship in time?" he asked, as he moved to clear the Flood from the platform.

"There's a power Conduit connecting this tower to the ship. Head back inside. I'll lead you to it."

John nodded. He then noticed something, just before he got within range of the Flood.

Dozens of dropships, both human Pelicans and Covenant Phantoms and Spirits, were emerging from In Amber Clad, and were making their way across the city.

The Gravemind had used them as a diversion! Making them distract High-Charity's interior defenses alongside the rebellion, while it could take the In Amber Clad, and use it to get inside the city and take it over. He had to admit, the Gravemind was smart.

He then raised his Battle Rifle, and fired at the closest Flood form.

He had to make his way to that Conduit. No matter the cost.

* * *

Surface, near Control Room of Installation 05

Thel looked up, as he finally saw what R'tas had meant by 'a key to open the door'.

A Protos Scarab.

"There." R'tas said. "That Scarab's main gun can breach those doors with ease. At the end of the beach, there's an entrance into the cliff. It will take you up there."

the Arbiter nodded. He then turned to his friend as they went there. "R'tas, gather as many as you can within an hour, then make your way to the Control Room. We need to hold it, not merely stop the Jiralhanae."

"Will do." R'tas said, as his Wraith turned around.

Thel stopped in front of the door that led inside, and got out of his Revenant. He opened the door, and stepped inside.

He immediately dodged a barrage of fire. It also immediately stopped, as a Sangheili general called out. "Hold your fire! It's the Arbiter!"

Thel looked up from behind the crate he'd dived towards, and looked over his allies.

He whistled. There were over Eight Hunters present, along with ten Unggoy and twelve Elites in this large gathering area. He was slightly relieved to recognize two councilors in the mix.

Thel stepped over to the General, who seemed to be in charge of this bunch.

"What's the situation, Fieldmaster?" Thel asked, using the more formal title of a General. "I know the Great Schism has begun, and that Lekgolo and Unggoy and Huragok side with us. But what's happened here in the last half hour?"

"The Jir'a'ul control this facility, and are using it as a Prison facility for Sangheili, Mgalekgolo and Humans. We received word about an hour ago that Fol Katarn's spreading messages across High-Charity, stating Humans are willing to fight alongside us. Is this true?"

The Arbiter thought back to the Gravemind's advice, to use all the allies he could find. He decided he would likely gain more if he counted humans among the mix as well, despite his reservations.

"I think so. The humans inside the Prison would surely be grateful enough that they won't shoot us on sight after that."

The General nodded. "Very well. Lead the way, Arbiter."

Thel did so, grabbing his Energy Sword. All Sangheili that had one as well did likewise.

They charged in, overwhelming the Jiralhanae and Kig-Yar in the room. They were either killed on sight, or overwhelmed by the rage of the Separatists assaulting them. Thel and his company suffered no casualties. After about a quarter hour of fighting inside the facility, they arrived at the outer edges of the Cell block. R'tas sounded over his com.

"Arbiter, a great amount of High-Charity survivors have agreed to gather in front of the Control Room. They've sent ahead a pair of Prototype Special Operations Phantoms to support us, by helping move troops around."

"How will I recognize them?" Thel asked.

"They have cloaking devices and a Green Hull."

Thel grunted an affirmative, and signed out. He turned to the two Spec-Ops Sangheili with them. "Cloak, and scout out the number of Jiralhanae inside." he turned to the others. "Everyone else, prepare, and ensure no one can exit the chamber."

The others all nodded, and the Spec-Ops Sangheili activated the Camouflage they'd borrowed from fallen Stealth Sangheili brethren.

After half a minute, they returned. "Twelve Jiralhanae in total: Six in the room itself, and six in a guard room not half a dozen meters away."

Thel nodded, and turned to the Unggoy. "Destroy the Shield Generators keeping our allies locked up, then Join the Mgalekgolo in taking down the Jiralhanae in the Guard room. Brothers: We take the Jiralhanae in this room. For Sanghelios."

"For Sanghelios." his brethren silently echoed.

"For Balaho." the Unggoy silently said.

( _For Te._ ) the Lekgolo rumbled.

Then, as one, they all charged inside, each going after their assigned targets: The Unggoy all went after the Shield Generators, the Mgalekgolo all went into the next room to the guard room, and the Sangheili charged the surprised Brutes. When one shield fell, a human coffin soldier jumped out, spearing a Jiralhanae and, surprisingly, pushing it off the catwalk of the upper cells. It jumped down after it, and put something on his fingers. He then started punching the Jiralhanae captain in the face, the helmet having fallen off during the fall. It bled, and Thel could see its nose was broken. Thel pulled the Human off, and stabbed down with his Energy Sword. He then looked back at the Coffin soldier.

He arched his eyebrows in surprise. This coffin soldier looked like the same one that had assaulted the Bridge of the Ascendant Justice alongside the Spartans.

Thel saw it look at him. And it depolarized its helmet as well. Thel recognized the look of surprise on its face. Clearly, this one recognized him as well.

"I'll be damned. The Captain of the Ascendant Justice. Hello, Fleetmaster."

"It's Arbiter nowadays."

"Whatever. Here's the de-"

Thel held up his hands to silence it. "I know you humans seek an alliance with us. We accept."

It's look of surprise grew greater. "How?"

"Word's been spread about this on High-Charity. Humans seek to ally with us, and most have already accepted. We do so as well."

The ODST just frowned. But them he smiled. "Alright. Couldn't hurt to have a few extra hands around." he then looked up, and Thel followed his gaze.

Narsk Orthel'kee stood there, alongside a ranking human female, likely their leader. Thel nodded at Narsk, who bowed in turn. They both jumped down, and Narsk grabbed a fallen red Plasma Rifle.

The Human female walked up to the Arbiter. "We have a short summary of what has happened. The Elites are betrayed, and the Hunters, Grunts and Engineers side with you. Better introductions can come later, Arbiter, but a few of us were taken up top, for entertainment of the Brutes."

Knowing what the Jiralhanae did for 'entertainment', Thel immediately ran upwards, everyone following. Their company consisted now of seventeen Sangheili, twelve Mgalekgolo, ten Unggoy and six Humans, all armed. As they made their way to the roof, Thel could hear the tail end of a conversation.

"Mine will do." Tartarus said. "Kill the others."

"Yes, Chieftain. It shall be done."

Thel then finally got within visual range of the Scarab. Three humans were held captive in front of it, and five Jiralhanae were guarding it. One was holding a dar-skinned one by the shoulders, a knife in front of its Throat.

"A day's ration says I can do this in one cut." the Jiralhanae said to its brethren.

Not allowing the Human to die, one of the Councilors raised his Needle Rifle, and fired at the Brute's neck. It hit exactly at the spine, and it dropped the knife. It fell down, and the other four looked at the company in surprise. The humans that were held, glad for the distraction, ran forward, towards the scarab and boarding it. The Sangheili with the Arbiter, still enraged at the betrayal of the Jiralhanae, all ran forward, with each Jiralhanae getting four Sangheili. All threw them over the edge, to their deaths below.

Thel turned to the Scarab, as the remaining humans all boarded it. It turned to Thel.

"Listen." the dark-skin said over the Scarab's speaker. Thel recognized the voice as belonging to the same dark-skin as in the Library. "You don't like me, and I _sure as hell_ don't like you. But if we don't do somethin', mr. mohawk's gonna activate this Ring, and we're all gonna die."

"Tartarus has locked himself inside the control center." Thel pointed out.

"Well, I just happen to have a key." Dark-skin smugly responded, as it opened the flaps around the main gun. Thel looked to his right, as multiple Jiralhanae Banshees came around the Canyon wall. On Thel's other flank, a Green Phantom decloaked, and a trio of Unggoy beckoned Thel's company into the dropship. They all boarded, aside from Narsk and Thel himself. Narsk turned to Thel. "Come on, let's grab a pair of banshees, and give the humans some cover. They're gonna know we're coming."

Thel nodded, and together, they boarded a pair of Banshees that had been dropped off earlier. Thel got into one, and Narsk on the other.

"Now, Arbiter." Narsk said confidently. "Let me show you how _I_ do things."

And he raced forward, eager to engage the Jiralhanae. Thel followed him, trying to watch Narsk's back as they cleared the airspace.

But it wasn't needed. Narsk fired his Fuel-Rod Cannon, attached to a Banshee, once, way before it was necessary, and drove one of the hostile Banshees into it with fire from his main guns. The hostile blew to bits and pieces. Next, he flew upwards in a spiral, with two of the hostiles in close pursuit.

Leaving two for Thel.

Thel barrel-rolled out of the way, and the Hostiles missed in their initial barrage of his aircraft. Thel aimed at the nearest one.

And watched in amazement, as the wreck of one of Narsk's hostiles crashed onto it. Thel looked up. Narsk was in very close pursuit of his other hostile, who was smoking heavily from damage suffered to the engines. It tried a lot of maneuvers to shake Narsk, but it was to no avail: Narsk was clearly a superior pilot, and the Jiralhanae stood no chance. After a moment, after Narsk fired another time with his Fuel-Rod Cannon, the Banshee blew, and it crashed down. Narsk then flew up again.

Thel found Narsk's reputation was well-earned. _Very_ well-earned.

He turned back to his final opponent, who had been watching the display of superior flying as well. Thel fired continuously with his Plasma Cannons. The Jiralhanae pilot, realizing he was outnumbered, tried to barrel-roll away.

But then, Johnson's scarab finally caught up, and its secondary gun barraged the Banshee. It went up in a pile of ash from the large amount of fire.

Thel saw the rest of the air between Johnson and the Control Room was clear, and so he moved off, likely what Narsk had done already.

"Hey, Bastards!" Johnson called out. "Knock, Knock!"

Then, the main cannon fired at the Central door. Thel could see it melt away under the heat of the Scarab's main beam. After a moment, it stopped, and Thel could see the door was gone, and the area directly inside was covered in either fire or a sooth of ash.

Thel landed at the Control room, and entered. He needed to stop Tartarus, after all.

* * *

Power Conduit to Forerunner Keyship, High-Charity.

John sighed, as he finally got to the Conduit. The last hour had been horrifyingly tough. He had been forced to fight more Brutes and Flood Juggernauts than he cared to count, and he was nearly out of ammo. He was also tired as hell, and he didn't relish the moment he would lose contact with Cortana. But he was now arriving, as the Gravity Lift came to a halt. He looked around.

 _Oh, Come on!_

Five Juggernauts were roaming around the room. He already knew he couldn't defeat them all, least of all in time to get to the Conduit. He raised his nearly-spent Shotgun. He was really getting tired of fighting these kind of Flood.

"Forget them!" Cortana urged him. "Just jump up, into the Conduit. I'm starting to lose control over the launching process."

he nodded, dropped his Shotgun, and sprinted towards the beam. He jumped just as a Juggernaut lashed out at him.

It missed, however, and he managed to get inside the conduit. Instantly, being pushed forward by the beam, he was carried across fifty kilometers in the blink of an eye, and he could see the city below him. He briefly admired the city, for despite the fact it was Covenant, it had a certain aesthetic beauty to it.

Then, the power conduit shut down, and he flew forward only on momentum. And he could see he wouldn't make it in time.

When a Phantom appeared below him, matching his pace and headed towards the Forerunner ship. It lifted, with him landing on the roof. Before he could rise, a voice reassured him it was alright.

"I've got you." The Field-Marshal from the Mausoleum said. "I'll drop you off, and then I'll head for the Control Room."

John nodded. "Thanks."

"Oh, and Your Construct has a goodbye for you. I'm conveying it as thanks for her warning about the advancing Flood forces."

"What did she say?"

"I quote: 'Chief, when you get to Earth, Good Luck.'"

John smiled. "If you see her before you leave this station, tell her this, Field-Marshal: I make my own luck, remember?"

"I'll honor that request."

John saw he was getting close to the Forerunner ship, and he prepared to jump.

As the Field-Marshal got alongside the ship, he jumped, landing beside a pair of closing Cargo doors. As they closed, he contacted the Field-Marshal. "I'm inside."

"Understood. I'll head out of the station. Give Truth my kind regards."

"I'll do that."

John then got up, and looked around the cargo hold. He saw that Truth, for being in a ship his people would likely consider Holy, he had a lot of violent weaponry on board. Carbines, Fuel-Rod guns, Brute Shots, Plasma Launchers, Brute Spikers... clearly, the Crew was ready to take on an entire army. He grabbed a Fuel-Rod gun, a Carbine, and a pair of Spikers. He also grabbed all the grenades he could find, including Incendiary grenades, Brute Spike grenades and Plasma grenades. He stepped forward. Time to start his man-hunt for Truth.

* * *

Control Room, Installation 05

Thel stepped over the corpse of a smoking Jiralhanae Honor Guard, and made his way to the final door. It had been a tough fifteen minutes, as he secured the area from Covenant Loyalists, who were determined to stop him. But now, the road to Tartarus was clear. At last, he could hear footsteps behind him, and he turned.

A Sangheili Field-Marshal was running towards him, followed by Spec-Ops Sangheili, Councilors, Zealots and even Honor Guards.

The last were led by the leader of all Honor guards. His armor was mostly Light of Sanghelios, only with a Councilor's helmet. He was a legendary warrior, only topped by Fol himself, and what Fol could have been had he accepted a position among the Honor Guard. His old friend.

It was Len'trak Kagath'ee.

"Arbiter! We came as soon as we heard of your survival!" the Honor Guard Leader said. "What are your commands?"

"Follow me." Thel said. "We are to stop Tartarus."

Len'trak nodded. Together, as one company, they all entered the control room.  
"-nothing compared to what I'll do to you." he heard Tartarus say as he entered.

"Tartarus, Stop." Thel said, as he came to a stop halfway down the walkway. The other Sangheili all stopped either behind Thel, or flanked him. But none stepped further.

"Impossible." Tartarus said, as he turned towards Thel, flanked by two Jiralhanae Chieftains and twelve Jiralhanae honor guards. One of said honor guards held the human in command of UNSC forces here, Keyes.

"Put the Icon down, Tartarus." he ordered.

"Put it down?" Tartarus asked, incredulous. "And disobey the Hierarchs?"

"There are things about Halo even the Hierarchs do not understand." Thel said. He knew this now to be true. What had been mere doubts in his mind had been cemented into true questioning ever since he had encountered the Gravemind. And the more he saw, the more he started to believe Fol's words.

The Jiralhanae flanking Tartarus started to growl. Tartarus ordered them back. "Take care, Arbiter. What you say is Heresy!"

"Is it?" he retorted. He turned to the object in the hands of one of the other Honor Guards.

The monitor, 343 Guilty Spark.

"Oracle, what is Halo's purpose?"

"Collectively, the seven -" it started, but Tartarus grabbed it rather violently.

"Not another word!" he demanded. But he visibly paled, as he looked behind Thel. He looked over his shoulder.

Kronos was marching in, humans and Sangheili behind him. To Thel's surprise, Usze 'Taham and N'tho 'Sraom were flanking him. And in Usze's hands...

 _Another Oracle!_

Kronos looked angry as he came to stand beside Thel. He held out his hand, and Usze put the Oracle in Kronos' hand. Kronos hit it once, and Thel was about to protest...

when it activated. "Greetings, I am 2401 Penitent Tangent. I am the monitor of Installation 05." it turned it's red eye a bit, and glowed a bit more.

"Ah, 343 Guilty Spark! A pleasure to see you again!"

"Indeed." the Monitor said. "Though I must confess, I am a bit disappointed that you let Protocol lax enough that the Flood has managed to escape."

"That is n-" it started, but Tartarus started to lift Guilty Spark over his head. "Alright, that's it!" he raised his hammer, intent on bringing it down on the monitor.

When a shot from a Beam Rifle shot the hammer out of his hands.

"Please." Johnson said, as he moved into view, a Beam Rifle in his hands. " _Don't_ shake the lightbulbs."

The other Brutes started to approach, but Johnson raised his rifle, aiming at Tartarus' head. "If you want to keep your brains inside your head, I'd tell those boys to chill!"

Tartarus glared at the human. But he barked something in his own language, and the Brutes slinked back.

"Go ahead." Johnson said. "Do your thing."

Thel nodded, and turned towards both monitors. Kronos still held Tangent, though, being too low on power to float on his own. "The sacred Rings, what are they?" he asked both of them.

"Weapons of last resort." Both answered. "built by the Forerunners to eliminate potential Flood hosts, thereby rendering the parasite harmless." they said it so much in synch, that he thought that they were programmed to give that automatic response if that question was asked. But that wasn't what shocked Thel and all nonhumans the most.

It was the answer itself. The Prophets had lied to them. The Halos weren't built to ascend them to the divine beyond. They weren't instruments of peace, but of destruction. They had been lied to. The entire Great Journey was a lie. And he had ignored the signs for so long: Fol Katarn, Sesa 'Refumee, the Demon... hell, even the Flood Gravemind had warned him. And he had ignored it all, in favor of a delusion.

"And those that made the rings?" he finally managed. His voice was heavy with the betrayal they all felt. Even the Brutes looked dumbfounded. "What happened to the Forerunners?"

"After exhausting every other Strategic option, our creators activated the rings." Spark said. Tangent continued. "They, and all additional sentient life in three radii of the galactic center, _died_. As was planned."

Thel could sense the betrayal everyone felt in the room. They had been lied to. For centuries, they had been lied to. There was no afterlife waiting for them, no heaven for them to aspire to. The San'Shyuum had betrayed them. They had led them on a crusade of destruction. They had been fooled.

Thel made up his mind then and there: From now on, he would do all he could to make up for the lives they had taken. But still, he needed to know one more thing.

"Oracles, what role did Humans play in this? Why are _they_ referred to as Reclaimers, and not the San'Shyuum?"

"Because the San'Shyuum are, and always have been, even in the glory days of the Forerunners, _manipulators_." Spark started. "If a San'Shyuum could lie in order to advance his own position, he would. No exceptions. As for why Humans, that is simple: They were the chosen successors of the Precursors, the only ones to have a higher technological level than the Forerunners. The Precursors wanted for Humanity to take up the Mantle of responsibility one day. But the Forerunners grew Jealous, and wiped out the Precursors, assuming the Mantle themselves. They then brought Humanity down on her knees, and would have wiped them out were it not for the efforts of the Librarian and her compatriots. She programmed all Forerunner Constructs to see Humans as the right successors of the Forerunners in the event of the Halo firing, and they made all forerunner technology respond to them. They are our Inheritors."

Thel was dumbfounded. This was too much information to process all at once.

"Fol Katarn and Sesa 'Refumee had asked these questions as well, and both went different ways. Fol went with humanity, and fought alongside the 'Spartans', as they're referred to, while Sesa, too loyal to the Forerunner ideals, holed up and started his own movement. Which _you_ ended."

Thel held up his hand, asking for it to be silent. This was not right. No. They couldn't... they...

his entire life was uprooted in that Control Room.

He had been exterminating a race that should be upheld to the highest standards. Humans were the ones to follow and obey, not the San'Shyuum. Humans were the ones to be respected, not the San'Shyuum. They deserved to be exterminated for this crime, not Humanity. They had deceived the entire Covenant.

All to hold on to their own power.

They were greedy, indeed. Fol, and entire Sang'Katarn for that matter, were right to distrust them on sight.

"Tartarus." He managed, finally breaking the silence that hung over them all. Over his fellow Sangheili, who would all likely feel either: Guilty, for exterminating Humanity while it had done nothing wrong, Angry, for how they had been deceived by the San'Shyuum, or Betrayed, for how the San'Shyuum had used them when the Covenant had put their faith in them, and they had been led from the path. "The Prophets have betrayed us."

Tartarus kept looking between the Monitors, Thel and Kronos. Then, looking quickly between 343 and Johnson, he threw the monitor at the human, who fell down from the impact.

"No, Arbiter." he said, as he grabbed the nearly-forgotten Human female, put the index in her hands, and pushed her hands down into the right slot in the Console.

"The Great Journey has begun. And the _Jiralhanae_ , not the Sangheili, shall be the San'Shyuum's escorts."

Thel saw the room change. A beam went up from the center of the room, and Thel saw the platform behind Tartarus shift. It turned into a multi-platform arena, and Tartarus and his Brutes jumped onto it. The console containing the Index went with them as well. Thel, N'tho, Usze, Kronos, Len'trak and the other Sangheili jumped after them.

The battle for the fate of the Galaxy had begun

Thel immediately went for Tartarus, charging him. But Tartarus activated some sort of Energy Shield around himself, and Thel's blades couldn't pierce it. Tartarus then hit him with his own hammer, and Thel was thrown across the platform from the shockwave.

Kronos intervened before Tartarus could finish the dazed Arbiter off, blocking Tartarus' hammer with his own. They then separated.

"Die, like your Pack-Brothers!" Tartarus goaded. Kronos sneered, and blocked another blow from Tartarus. "They were your Pack-Brothers too." He retorted, before he started battering down on the Chieftain. Then, slowly but surely, the shield started to drain, more and more with each blow.

"Charging sequence initiated. Phase Pulse generators coming online." Penitent Tangent warned.

"Well, shut them down." Keyes ordered, as she watched the brawl between Elites and Brutes, with the two large Chieftains battering away at each other.

"Apologies, Reclaimer, but Protocol allows neither of us to interfere at _this_ stage of the sequence." Guilty Spark answered.

"Then how do _I_ stop it?" she asked.

Penitent paused for a moment. "Under more… controlled circumstances, I recommend the Reclaimer simply removed the index."

"That's it?" Keyes asked. She immediately turned to the brawl below. Most of the Brutes had been taken care off, with only a few minor losses.

"Johnson, Wilson: I'm on it!"

"Hang tight, ma'am." Johnson retorted, as he aimed with his Beam Rifle. "Not 'till Mohawk's dead. He'll kill you if you just storm in now."

Thel registered all of this, as he slowly got up. So he had to take care of Tartarus, or the Galaxy would be devoid of life. With a certain time limit.

He imagined Demons had faced worse odds before.

He finally spotted Tartarus again, as he was brawling with Kronos, without hammers between them. Thel made his way over there, as Tartarus picked up the larger Sang'Katarn Chieftain, and hurled him away, so he could pick up his hammer.

Thel rushed over there, and he saw Usze and N'tho doing so as well. Together, like they did against Fol Katarn and Loka 'Bandolee, the three overwhelmed Tartarus through the many angles they attacked from, and how coordinated their attacks were, none letting up. Thel even managed to cut across the Chieftain's right eye.

But Tartarus' shield had recharged again, and Tartarus risked a blow right in front of him on the ground. The three were tossed away, and Thel nearly fell off the Platform.

When a hand grabbed him, and he was pulled up. Len'trak helped him up, and gave Thel back his Energy Sword, which had been thrown out of his hand by the shock wave. He nodded in thanks, and together, they all turned back to Tartarus.

Tartarus was taking on the Zealots and Field Marshal, the latter wielding a Fuel-Rod gun, and they were driving Tartarus towards the Energy Beam in the center of the Platform, the one that was going up.

"Reclaimers, be warned." Guilty Spark said. "The Beam at the center is now lethal: Any touch of it, and your body will be disintegrated."

Thel nodded, and he had an idea. He looked over at Kronos, who was grabbing his own Gravity Hammers. Thel timed his charges so he and Kronos would arrive at the same time.

Just as they arrived, Three Beam Rifle shots and a lot of Carbine fire hit the hostile Chieftain, and his shield dissipated.

"Hey, Mohawk!" Johnson called. "How does that feel?" the other Humans gave similar mocking remarks.

The Chieftain wasn't killed by the barrage, but he was wounded. And mad. He raised his Fist of Rukt for a few more strikes. But Kronos and Thel, combined with the other Elites, were on to him, pounding away at him and driving him steadily towards the beam.

At the end, there was room for only two more to attack the wounded and exhausted Tartarus, and Kronos and Thel made sure they were the ones to be there. They each hit the Chieftain at coordinated intervals: directly after Thel had made a strike with one of his on blades, Kronos would strike at Tartarus with his hammers, knocking the smaller Mohawk-chieftain down. Directly after Kronos had made a strike, before Tartarus could retaliate, Thel would strike at the Jiralhanae, kicking him closer to the beam. After five of such efforts, they finally succeeded.

Tartarus backed into the beam.

Realizing his mistake, he tried to jump up, and strike one last time with the Fist of Rukt. But he was disintegrating too fast, and he disintegrated into a thousand tiny molecular shards, which shattered upon impact with the ground, dissipating after a few seconds. The hammer landed at Thel's feet, though its landing didn't result in a shockwave.

The Human commander, Keyes, ran past, headed for the console containing the Index. She pulled it out with violence, and the beam suddenly stopped, as did the rumbling that the generators had made.

The room darkened, as the platform went back to its previous configuration of only a single round walkway with a small hole in the center.

Guilty Spark floated over, and activated one of the Holographic controls. A display of the Galaxy appeared, with seven lights at equally distanced points away from the galactic center appeared, five Green ones and two Red ones, next to which red symbols appeared as well. It didn't take long for Thel to figure out this was a diagnostic screen of all active installations, with one of the red ones being the destroyed Installation 04. But that meant another had also been destroyed. _And they didn't know?_

"What's that?" Keyes asked, as she walked up to it.

"A beacon," Guilty Spark started. "Communicating at a superlum-"

"Communicating with what?" Keyes persisted. "Remember, we've been out of the loop on Forerunner tech and installations."

"Ah, of course." Guilty Spark said. "It's communicating with the other installations." He answered, and he enlarged the Installations. "Failsafe Protocol: In the event of unexpected shutdown, the entire system will move to standby status. All remaining platforms are now ready for remote activation."

"Remote activation?" Kronos asked, slightly distressed. "From here?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Penitent Tangent Patronized the Brute, while he was held by the human Dubbo. "We don't put the control the entire network on one ring. Otherwise misuse would happen far too quickly."

"Then where do we activate the rings, Tinkerbells?" Johnson asked.

"Why- The Ark, of course." Guilty Spark answered.

"And where, Monitor" Thel asked. "is that?"

"None of us know for certain, as part of a compartmentalization protocol." Penitent Tangent answered. "But what I do know, is that the only way to reach it rests on Erde Tyrene."

Thel, as did all the other members of the Covenant stepped back in shock. Johnson looked around a bit, as did the human Coffin Soldier Wilson.

"Uhh, did we miss a memo?" Stacker asked. "What's so horrifying about Erde Tyrene?"

Kronos knelt down, so he was eye-to-eye with the human. "The Prophet of Regret's last location, before he reached Halo, was Erde Tyrene. Figure it out."

It didn't take long for Stacker to figure it out. "But if he was at Erde… Tyrene…" Stacker trailed off, before he took on a concerned look as well. "Oh, Fuck."

Keyes got it as well. "We have to head back." She immediately said. "Erde Tyrene is the Forerunner name of our homeworld, Earth."

Thel nodded. "Later today. But first." He reached over to his com device, and hailed R'tas. "R'tas, do you copy?"

"I hear you, Arbiter. I must admit, that was quite a lightshow up above. But the army's ready, and awaiting your command."

"The Army isn't necessary anymore, R'tas. But make them hold station anyway."

"Thel."R'tas said. "You sound troubled. Is something wrong?"

"More than you can imagine. Prepare the troops, and all broadcasting equipment as well. I have a Speech to make, and everyone needs to hear this. Not just our forces here, but anywhere: Those at home on Sanghelios, those at the Battle over the human homeworld, the few sympathizers on Sang'Katarn… hell, even the most of remote colonies that still remain need to hear this. Including all human forces and colonies."

R'tas was silent for a moment. A long moment.

"It will take a few hours to arrange that, friend."

"Then it takes a few hours. But what I have to say, everyone needs to hear."

"If you say so." Rtas signed off. Thel turned to the humans. "Earlier on, on High-Charity, rumors spread due to Fol's propaganda, that Humans are willing to side with us. Tell me: Is this true?"

Keyes looked between them all for a moment, before looking back at Thel.

"There have been no official orders to do so." She admitted. Thel's hope started to fall.

"However," she continued. "If your speech reaches our commanders as well, and you openly ask your brethren to side with Humanity, I think our leaders would accept it. I and my men certainly have."

"Yep." Johnson said. "For an Elite, as much as I hate to admit it, you guys are good."

"I already managed to become friends with Fol." Wilson answered. "What difference does a few million more make?"

"if you have cookies, I'll fight alongside you guys any day of the week." Banks answered. Most laughed at that remark.

Stacker and Dubbo nodded as well. "We fought alongside you guys today. As long as we don't have to sleep in the same room, I don't mind."

"You guys freed me, and are openly condemning your own way of living you've upheld for thousands of years." Mattock added. "The least we can do is accept you all into our ranks. And not just the Sangheili, but the Unggoy, the Lekgolo… even king kong here." She pointed at Kronos, who smirked at the nickname." The other humans present all gave similar affirmatives.

Thel saw his fellow warriors also look with hope. The start of their redemption lay here, with this group. Thel smiled. "Come then, humans. We have a speech to prepare, and I would like to give you guys a word as well."

Johnson got out a cigar, and a lighter. He lit his lighter, and was about to move it to his cigar. He was stopped however, when Len'trak activated his wrist blade gauntlet, and held it at the tip of the cigar. It lit up, and he withdrew the dagger. Johnson looked at the Elite in surprise. "Thanks."

* * *

Cairo Station, Earth's orbit, Sol System.

Hood dragged his sleeve across his forehead, as sweat started to drip down in front of his eyes. Things were desperate enough that even he, the leader of the UNSC, Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood, was wiping away his sweat. Not that the room was that hot, although the temperature, although it was slightly above what he considered comfortable. No, it was the large Fleet of Covenant vessels in front of him. After the Chief had left, a large Fleet of Covenant, consisting of over one hundred and fifty ships, came out of Slipspace. He had been fighting them non-stop ever since.

"Sir, we've got a new contact." The Sensor officer reported. "Unknown classification."

Hood moved over to look, and couldn't believe his eyes. Something that looked like the Covenant's mockery of the Eiffel Tower was headed straight towards him. _Were they that sure of victory, that they were mocking us with our own monuments?_ He found more and more reason to hate the bastards.

"It isn't one of ours. Take it out." He ordered. As soon as the words had left his mouth, however, a new voice came through. The last one he expected to hear.

"This is Spartan 117. Can anyone hear me? Over?"

"Isolate that signal." Hood immediately ordered. "Master Chief? You mind telling me what you're doing on that ship?"

"Sir. Finishing this fight."

Hood nodded. "Mission authorized, though I would like some elaboration on the details."

"Sir, two of the Covenant's three Hierarchs are dead. The last one's on this ship. I intend to kill him."

Hood nodded. "God's speed chief, and good luck."

"I make my own luck, sir." The Chief said, before the signal cut out, indicating the Chief wasn't paying Hood any special attention anymore. Hood chuckled. That you do, chief. He was about to turn to the weapons officer, and to order him to disable that ship instead of destroying it, when a new signal cut across all channels. It sounded like an Elite.

"This is the Arbiter, Thel Vadam. I ask that you all cease fire. For I have an important message."

Hood immediately complied. "All forces, cease fire. Let's hear the bastard out."

* * *

Supercarrier 'Unwavering Loyalty', Earth Orbit outside of ODP Range, Sol System.

Fleetmaster Kantar 'Utaralee looked on with frustration, as the battle progressed further on and on. He had been present at the Fall of Reach, serving as the second-in-command of the now-deceased Rho 'Barutamee, who had been in command of the advance force sent in by Thel Vadam. He knew that Planets like these could easily be taken, if one was determined enough and had the right resources.

But that was just it: He didn't have the right resources. More and more of his ships had command handed down to accursed Jiralhanae, and his initial plan was falling apart around him. As far as he knew, only twenty-five of his fleet of one hundred fifty ships still had Sangheili commanding them. And all this was sanctioned by Truth. He didn't know why the Hierarch thought so highly of the beasts. But he didn't care. All he needed was to be able to do his job: to break enemy Fleets apart. And, due to the Jiralhanae ignoring his command of laying a siege on the Orbital Defense Platforms, they had stormed to the Ark. And of the over a hundred ships that assaulted the specific area they were targeting, only twelve made it inside the atmosphere. And they were now busy excavating the Ark, instead of aiding him in the assault of the Planet. So now, here he was, resting just out of range of their orbital guns, so he didn't get in range of the devastating firepower of over two hundred eighty Platforms firing their Super MAC's at him.

"Sire, Incoming contact!" his sensor officer reported. "And a Gap is forming in the Human Defense Fleet, allowing us to flank them."

"Navigation, Make haste for that Gap!" Kantar ordered. "Com, Order all ships still responding to do likewise. Weapons, Power up our Energy Projectors and Plasma Torpedoes. Sensor, identify that Contact."

The Crew all did their assigned duties, and Kantar felt the ship surge forward, as it made for the gap. After a moment, Sensor called out again. "Sire, telemetry confirms it's the Hierarch's Keyship."

So. the Hierarchs had decided to clean this mess up themselves. The Keyship was their personal vessel. But it was only to be launched if High-Charity was compromised. And for Truth to come out here, that meant it had fallen. Above Halo. Likely due to the accursed Demons, or the Flood even.

"Sire, a transmission's coming in." Com reported. "It's not from the Keyship."

Kantar frowned. _Who could it be then, for them to breach their inner security?_ "Put it on the main display. Sure enough, the enlarging view of the Human ships was replaced by that of a Sangheili. Kantar frowned in surprise.

"This is the Arbiter, Thel Vadam. I ask that you all cease fire. For I have an important message."

"Cease fire, and ignore any prompts from the Keyship to continue it. Com, order the rest of the fleet to do likewise." Kantar ordered, and weapons nodded and stood down. Kantar was interested in what the Arbiter had to say.

* * *

Hidden Insurrectionist colony world, designated "Troy"

Graves stepped off the deck of the Colossus, as he returned from his tour. He had been unsuccessful so far in finding this new threat. This 'Legionary Armada' that the Sangheili colonies were so scared off. His sources had determined it was real. Spartan Blue Team had even found a corpse of one of their 'Cerberus Supersoldiers'. But for some reason, Graves nor MacAllen nor Cranach, had been able to find either their fleet or their homebase.

He marched over to Sarah McGregor, who stood waiting at the other end of the docking tube, leaning against the wall and her arms crossed. Graves smiled. Even though she wasn't his biological or adopted daughter, he had taken care of her from an early age, just like he'd promised Thomas. He could say he was proud of what she had become, an Intelligence Officer in her own right, under the guidance of Sergeant Conrad Blisk. As much as he disliked the man, with him being ex-ONI, Graves admitted he had done right by him, and trained Sarah well.

Before either could say anything, however, Spyglass came across his personal com.

"Sir, I have an incoming transmission, a general broadcast coming from Covenant forces far away. We cannot stop it, and it's breaching all our firewalls. So far, I have detected no viruses along with it, and it is a one-way transmission."

"Let it play, across all speakers." Graves ordered. Sarah took on a serious look as well, as she listened to her own headset.

"This is the Arbiter, Thel Vadam. I ask that you all cease fire. For I have an important message."

* * *

Kyoto, Capital of Legionary Armada homeworld of Phoenix

Gharst entered the conference room, as he cleared the mission for Cerberus Squad Halcyon. They were assigned to infiltrate the human ranks, and to eliminate the government of Centennial, a remote Human Colony which was ripe for the taking, and had the wealth Gharst needed. Not that he lacked in money and resources, but anything he could get his hands on that could be taken from traitors and backstabbers.

He looked at the Squad members, all four of them humans. Normally, the Cerberus Units were more diverse, but he needed humans for this operation, as Elites wouldn't go unnoticed by the solely human population.

"Now, I know Recko has already briefed you, but I need to-"

"Sir, Our coms are being breached." Jan interrupted. There's a general broadcast coming in from a far and remote sector. It's harmless, But it is taking over all PA systems."

Gharst nodded, and the Cerberus units nodded as well. "Let it be, Jan. I have a feeling I want to hear this."

"Very well." Jan said. After a second, Gharst heard the message.

"This is the Arbiter, Thel Vadam. I ask that you all cease fire. For I have an important message."

* * *

Kortan-Sho, Independent Sangheili Colony of Sang'Katarn

Six was walking at the moment with Ooskoo Rotam, as she slowly made her way to what they referred to as the 'T-shaped Key', which she knew was really an activation Index. On the way there, however, she listened to Ooskoo's recounting of the events at Installation 06.

"But if Rahgath had his Fleet in orbit the entire time, and no humans are aboard that ship, why not just blast it to smithereens?" she asked.

"To later on lure the humans, and kill a few more of them. It nearly worked, for two of the Spartan-II's went up as well."

Six nodded. "Fair enough." She said.

She was walking with him to avoid Fol. Not because she disliked him now, at least not more than usual, but because she knew he would be able to see her hate, and the anticipation for the duel that took place tomorrow. That is, if Reghok disagreed with her ideas of siding with humanity. If he did agree, then she knew she would let him be. She would have completed her objective: to get to Sang'Katarn, and convince the governing body of Sang'Katarn to side with humanity. She would dislike leaving Reghok alive, but she knew Sang'Katarn would turn on both her and humanity if she attacked and killed him just after he promised to provide support for humanity.

"So." she asked. "The Midsummernight was destroyed. Then what?"

"The Leader of the humans, the Spartan known as David, gathered all humans forces in front of the Contriol Room, to prevent Rahgath from lighting the Ring. We joined him, and together, we repelled Rahgath's armies. That's when-"

"This is the Arbiter, Thel Vadam. I ask that you all cease fire. For I have an important message." Sounded over the intercom. Both Ooskoo, Six and 16807 Contrite Vestige, who had been floating along and had been providing a little commentary of his own as well, looked up.

Six had run into the Monitor a few times during her stay. She found this one wasn't actually hostile, just in need of close companionship, as the loneliness of running a 10.000. Kilometer wide station on his own for over 100.000 years had gotten to him more than the other monitors. He was nice enough once Six got to know him. She knew he shared that same opinion of her.

"What is this?" Six asked.

"I'm unsure." Ooskoo said. "But I'm willing to listen."

* * *

Sovereign Colonies Capital of Alpha City, Serpentis Octanus

General Mahad sighed, as Captain Lennox left the room.

Mahad could finally go to bed with a good consciousness, and a good rest. The situation at Aegis VII was finally resolved, and the hostiles were buried under a large amount of Rubble. Also, on Lennox' initiative, they had thrown the bloody marker the Unitologist bastards liked so much into the pile, and it now lay under five tons of stone. The religious radicals, deprived of their most sacred artifact, would finally calm down, starting a crusade to search for it… and getting them off Mahad's back. Two birds had been killed with one stone. All in all, it was a good day for the de facto leader of the Sovereign Colonies.

He was about to leave his desk, and head back to bed, when a PA message sounded across the hallways. It wasn't the usual message, though.

"This is the Arbiter, Thel Vadam. I ask that you all cease fire. For I have an important message."

* * *

Outer Platform, Installation 05 Control Room.

Thel looked down on the crowd below. True to his word, R'tas had gathered as many people as he could here. And there were a lot of people: Human Marines, ODST's and naval officers that survived the fall of the In Amber Clad, Unggoy, Lekgolo, Sangheili, Huragok… all had come here, to listen to what Thel had to say. They even had maneuvered multiple Scarabs around the Control Room in the river that surrounded it, so that even more people could see Thel. Behind him stood the unofficial Human leaders here, Commander Keyes, Lieutenant Mattock and Sergeant Johnson. Kronos stood beside Thel, holding the Monitor 2401 Penitent Tangent, as, although he had regained much of his power, he still didn't have enough to both stay aloft and answer the questions that would be directed at him. 343 Guilty Spark floated beside him, the contrast between Spark's Blue eye and Tangent's Red one extremely obvious. Len'Trak stood there as well, directing the crews as they moved and operated the large recording equipment. They had also placed a series of Holographic emitters that would project Thel's face as he spoke to the massive crowd, that now numbered in the thousands.

A Green Phantom approached, and Thel saw R'tas jump out of it. R'tas greeted him. "We have control of _both_ the Ring and the majority of the Fleet. High-Charity has fallen, and is on its way to become a wretched Floodhive. Truth, and the ships loyal to him, are already on their way to Earth."

Thel nodded. "As soon as my Speech is done, I want you to take the Fleet, and glass the majority of the surface of Halo, preventing the combat forms still on the ground from spreading. Then, quarantine High-Charity. There were dozens of ships docked with it as it was infected. Ensure _none_ of them ever breach the quarantine and can roam freely to infect other worlds."

R'tas nodded. "A wise decision." Then, the camera crew beckoned, and R'tas nodded. "They are ready. Are you, Thel?"

"No. but it still needs to be done." Thel answered. And he stepped forward.

He knew he was visible due to the holographic emitters, as the crowd instantly fell silent.

"This is the Arbiter, Thel Vadam. I ask that you all cease fire. For I have an important message." He started. He waited a few seconds, to ensure all who could hear this actually fell silent. After a minute, he continued. "A month ago, as you all undoubtedly know, the Legendary Field-Marshal, Fol Katarn, has defected to the Human ranks."

He paused, for dramatic effect. He knew the crowd would remember hearing about the betrayal, which, while logical in this new light, had seemed horrendous at the time.

"he told me why, when he boarded my carrier, the Ascendant Justice. He had said that a Monitor had told him things on Halo that made him believe the great Journey is a lie."

He hear most of the crowd balk, aside from the humans. Clearly, most didn't know the truth yet.

"A few days ago, As you all know, I confronted Sesa 'Refumee, in an attempt to regain my armor, now that I lost it as an Arbiter. He told me as well that the Great Journey was a lie."

The Crowd booed even more. Just like Fol's betrayal, Sesa's fall, upon being made public that the Arbiter had singlehandedly brought down an Insurrectionist movement, was as unfavorable as could be.

"Sesa told me the same thing Fol did: that an Oracle had shown him the true way, and that the Great Journey was a lie."

The Crowd fell silent, even though this went against their believes. Clearly, this was new information to them.

"I have recovered the Oracle he spoke of, as well as the one of this Installation" some of the men below balked at Thel's lack of reverence. " and they are here now. I will let them repeat what they have told me."

And with that, he withdrew from the stage, and let Guilty Spark and Penitent Tangent, carried by Kronos with reverence, take his place.

"Greetings! I am 343 Guilty Spark." His voice echoed across the canyons. Thel knew that anyone listening, anywhere in the galaxy, would hear this as well. "I am the _former_ Monitor of Installation 04. Former, since a band of Reclaimers, as well as Fol Katarn, destroyed my Installation."

"And I am 2401 Penitent Tangent. Am the Monitor of this Installation, Installation 05." Tangent said.

"The Arbiter here, as well as Fol Katarn and Sesa 'Refumee, asked me three questions." Guilty Spark began. "What is the Purpose of this Ring, what happened to the Forerunners, and what did Humanity mean to the Forerunners, since we refer to _them_ as Reclaimers instead of the San'Shyuum."

Spark paused, as instructed, to let it sink in. Tangent continued. "The Answer to the First Question is simple. This Ring, as well as that of the others, is a Weapon of last Resort against the Flood. It wipes out all life in the Galaxy, thereby starving out the Flood. It is quite efficient, as the only way to escape it is to be outside of Halo's effective range, which can only be done by leaving this Galaxy."

Thel saw the entire crowd was enraptured by the Oracle's words. They, like Thel, had been true believers of the Great Journey when they heard these words. Now, they would feel betrayal. They would feel anger. It even showed on R'tas' face, as he had removed his helmet during the Oracle's words. And yet, none would not dare let it show, for the Oracle had not stopped speaking.

"The Answer to the second question is this: The Forerunners activated the Rings. They had exhausted every other Strategic outcome, and saw no other way to defeat the Flood. There are no recorded survivors of their species, because they were all, as planned, within the effective range of halo's weaponry. They died out."

The Crowd, if that could be possible, had grown silent, even the Humans. The largest dream, the highest hopes of all the Covenant, died out at that specific moment. The Great Journey was proven false.

"The Great Journey, as your San'Shyuum interpreted it," Guilty Spark supplied "was the Forerunner phrase for their acceptance that they would die, and that they would leave Humanity to take over the mantle of responsibility. It wasn't meant to be interpreted as some sort of afterlife, nor did the Forerunners want it to be that way. I'm… sorry if you feel betrayed by this."

That last phrase caught Thel off-guard. They hadn't planned that Spark would say that. And yet, it was sincere. Spark didn't want for his people to be remembered having an afterlife. He genuinely was sorry the term of Phrase the forerunners had used had led them on a genocidal crusade.

"The Third answer requires a bit of Forerunner history." Guilty Spark continued on. "There has only been one race recorded to have a higher level of technology than the Forerunners: the Precursors. The Precursors saw potential in Humanity, and wanted for them to take the Mantle of Responsibility over from them once they were sufficiently advanced from their own efforts. But the Forerunners grew Jealous, and, through many millennia of hate and jealousy, _exterminated_ the Precursors, who, despite their technology, were no match for the zeal at which the Forerunners engaged them."

"As for Humanity, they were brought on their knees," Penitent tangent interjected "as they were, technologically speaking, still at the level of gunpowder and ships with sails. They weren't interstellar yet. They would have been exterminated as well, were it not for the fact the Librarian, the Iso-Didact, the Master Builder and a few others. They recognized the potential of Humanity as well, and saved them from extinction. They put enough humans, alongside many other species, on the Lesser Ark, which we know is _Out of Range_ of the effects of Halo. After the firing, and after adding a few Genesongs to Humanity's DNA, they were reseeded on Erde tyrene, which you all know as Earth."

Tangent paused, seemingly having used a lot of his power, as his eye's glow was a lot less. Spark took over. "Humanity is the greatest species in the Galaxy, even if they aren't technologically superior to many species. Do you know why?"

None answered.

"Because, in twenty five thousand years, they went from mere horse riders and iron sword wielders to A space-faring race that had mastered the art of Slipspace. All without consulting Forerunner Technology. And the Covenant, for all their power, took all their advancements from Forerunner technology, like myself. You never learned to come up with your own revolutionary ideas."

At this, some members finally called out, claiming they didn't take the insult. But Thel knew they just needed to have an outlet for their rage. They just learned they were wrong to exterminate Humanity. In fact, if things had been different, Thel would have thought it likely Humanity would be hailed as Prophets. Which made the San'Shyuum look like they exterminated humaity merely because they didn't want to lose their power.

And that enraged Thel to the core.

"Yes, you can design bigger ships." Spark continued. "Yes, you can build better weapons. But what scientific discovery has been made on your own initiative, without consulting Forerunner Ancillas?"

The Crowd fell silent again, seeing Spark's point.

"You have become imitative instead of truly innovative. You depend on others to show you how it's done, before you can do it yourselves."

Thel saw the crowd was becoming more crestfallen. Spark continued on. "But this is not something set in stone. You can still change. And, given the fact you no longer follow the San'Shyuum, this will happen a lot faster."

Thel looked at the Monitor in slight interest. Though he was diverting from what he initially agreed to say, Thel could see the Crowd was losing faith in the Covenant itself at an increasing rate, and what the Monitor said was very positive of Humanity.

"You see, the San'Shyuum are deceivers. They kept you down purposefully, so you would be at their whim. Why else would they portray themselves as the saviors of your kind? So they could lead you on to a doomed existence? Hah! They would take any opportunity they could to gain more power, and will do anything to hold on to it. Even if that means letting others commit Genocide for them. No, they aren't the reclaimers. All their technological advances are thanks to the Forerunner Keyship he has hijacked. Humans, however, have always shown themselves to be true to their own cause. That they are willing to make sacrifices, while showing they actually care."

Spark briefly moved, so it seemed he glanced around the crowd. "If the galaxy depended on my choice, and I had to choose between a Human and a San'Shyuum, I would always choose a human." he looked around again. "Here, right now, I ask that you do the same."

and with that, he floated away. Kronos followed suit with Tangent, who had regained a bit of his glow.

Thel stepped forward again. "This, my brothers, is what the Oracles have told me, in that Control Room. And while I agree this is a grave matter, I wish to point out something clear: Right now, the Jir'a'ul are still busy exterminating Humanity. They are still busy killing the successors of the Precursors." He paused, looking at his companions behind him. "I will not force any of you to do what I'm about to do. I'm not like Truth in that regard. But I cannot stand by while Truth and his pets are exterminating Humanity, all for a false Journey. I _will_ fight alongside Humanity, doing all I can to help you survive. I ask, _not order, but ask_ , that you do the same."

the crowd was silent, and was so for a very long time. Then from the top of one of the Scarab's, a Golden Zealot spoke up, his helmet com active so everyone could hear him.

"I fought alongside the Demon on High-Charity. I have seen he has no hate for Sangheili. He _might_ have in the past, but he does not hold on to it now. I heard a short while ago that the propaganda Fol spread was made by his construct, mimicking his voice. Yet, I know that I would gladly fight alongside any human I come across. Even if I want to wipe the smirk off their faces a few times." most, including a few of the humans behind Thel, laughed.

"In all seriousness, though. Thel Vadam, You have my blade in this fight." Thel could, from a distance, see a blade activate on the center Protos Scarab. "For Freedom! For redemption! For Humanity!"

the others in the crowd all uttered similar outcries, swearing their loyalty to either Thel or to the goal of aiding Humanity. Soon, the Unggoy, Mgalekgolo and even the Huragok let out similar shouts. Thel held up a hand, and everyone fell silent.

"Then, from this day on, let it be known that we all rose up, in protest against this blind crusade! Let it be known that We, Sangheili, Unggoy, Lekgolo and Huragok, choose to use our conscious instead of our blade. Let it be known that we rose over the San'Shyuum, and that we don't tolerate lies." he then activated his own blade, and held it in the air. "For Salvation."

"For salvation!" the crowd cried out as one. From the corner of his eye, he could see R'tas and Len'trak hold their own blades up high as well.

"Truth has lied to us long enough!" he yelled. "He needs to die for his crimes against us. I swear to you, here and now, that I will not stop until Truth is gone, and the Jiralhanae are defeated." the Crowd joined him in this, and they all started to yell. Thel stepped away from the stage, letting Keyes stepped onto the stage, and the Crowd fell silent.

"I know that we have been at war for decades. Many generations do not know a time when we were _not_ at war." she started. "But I have seen your people in action. I have seen you all rise up and do what was right, instead of following Truth's dogmatic teachings. I have even been saved by a few of you, as my men were saved as well. Know this: even if the rest of Humanity isn't ready to fight alongside you, I am. And I know that we can't afford to waste powerful allies."

the crowd silenced, most looking at each other, nodding in agreement. Keyes continued. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, we have multiple targets for us to kill. Truth. The Brutes. Not to mention the Flood. So get moving.

Immediately, the crowd died down, it started to disperse, determined to get to their ships and get on their way to aid humanity.

Thel turned to R'tas. "Friend, can I borrow a Corvette, to carry our human friends back to their home planet? They'll need our aid, and we need to show our commitment to this cause."

R'tas nodded, smiling with the jaws he still had. "I can do even better. The SuperCarrier True Commitment, loaded up with troops and supplies, is willing to carry them, their equipment, you, and a whole lot of our company to Earth, and aid in her effort of survival."

Thel nodded. "I thank you. But won't you need her to contain the Flood here?"

"Hah. I have a dozen more of that class at our disposal here. One more or less isn't that large a different." R'tas boasted confidently.

Thel nodded. He then turned to Keyes, then gestured at an arriving Pelican. Kilo 23. "Commander, your ride's here. I'll have Seraph's escort you to the right carrier. Won't want you to accidentally get stuck on the ship that stays to confine the Parasite, right?"

Keyes chuckled. "No. I don't want that. Will you accompany us, Arbiter?"

he nodded. He then turned to his right. "N'tho, Usze. You two ready for one more fight?"

"Always. Though I admit I would like better arms."

Thel nodded. "They'll accompany us. Kronos. Will you join us, or will you commit your best efforts on Sang'Katarn?"

Kronos shook his head. "I'll need to report to the Kaidon about this. But rest assured, forces are already in play to get some of their forces on Earth."

Thel nodded. "Glad to hear it." he then headed to the pelican, and he, Keyes, N'tho, Usze and the other humans got aboard. They then departed, towards the True Commitment.

They had to save a species, and inevitably the galaxy, after all.

* * *

Supercarrier 'Unwavering Loyalty', Earth Orbit outside of ODP Range, Sol System.

Kantar 'Utaralee stood with shaking legs, as he processed what he had heard. They were following orders of liars? They were on a crusade of extinction? They were fighting for the wrong side? At the moment it was all too much for him.

But only a moment.

"Nav, continue course, but once we're in position, turn us around, so we face the Brutes. Weapons, new Targets: Brute Flagships and the Keyship. Com, raise the Human leader in charge of the planet's defenses."

The Crew, shaken from their stupor by the Fleetmaster's voice, immediately resumed their tasks. After a moment, Com spoke up. "Sire, the Channel's open. It's two Fleet admirals who are listening in: Hood and Harper."

Kantar nodded, and the main display changed. It showed the two men. One, a seemingly elder of their people, well past his usual prime. He guessed this was Hood. The other, a younger man with a black mass of hair on top of his head, and a small bit of hair between his mouth and nose. Kantar, by eliminating Hood from the list, knew this one was Harper.

"Admirals, I assume you hear that general broadcast?"

"We have. It was broadcast across every com device in existence. Whoever made that broadcast ensured it spread far and wide."

Kantar nodded. "Thought as much. I am willing to put my fleet of twenty five ships strong at your disposal. I am already moving to fill up a gap in your ranks."

the two men looked at each other, before the nodded. "Continue along that task. If we move out of our fortress of ODP's, we're dead. Don't break ranks, and we're fine."

Kantar nodded. "I'll hold the line. I only hope your people can put aside their hatred long enough for us to survive this."

The man called Harper nodded. "You and me both, Fleetmaster. You and me both."

* * *

Forerunner Keyship, Earth's Orbit, Sol System

John ducked behind the pillar again, as he retreated.

He had severely underestimated the amount of Brutes that could be packed on a ship like this. He had also underestimated Truth's skill to pick skilled combatants. As such, he was constantly forced to retreat, as more and more brutes filled the hallway in front of him. Two more pillars away, and he was back in the same cargo hold he had used to enter. And then, unless he risked a jump from orbit, it would be over.

He grabbed his last incendiary, and threw it at the largest concentration of Brutes, and was satisfied that over ten brutes were killed due to the fire spreading. He also smiled when he heard a Plasma Barrel blow up. But dozens more replaced them, and John felt his pillar shake with the impacts of dozens of Brute Shots. Grudgingly, he left his cover, fired his last Fuel-Rod gun rounds down the hallway to buy himself some time. He then saw a hallway to his left, and he ran towards it. It was a single hallway, very narrow, so he would have a bottleneck. He smiled. He dropped the spent Fuel-Rod gun, and grabbed his Carbine. He fired a few rounds at a War Chieftain as he entered the hallway, and followed it, backpedaling as he went. He didn't dare turn his back to the large mass of angry apes.

He bumped into something, and looked around.

Damn. It was a single door, and judging from the wind he hear tearing away at the Hull outside, it led nowhere. The only other way was through the Brutes. And there was no way even he would survive that. If he had the entire Spartan-II division with him, and they were all armed to the teeth, then maybe they would have made it. But not on his own, armed with nothing but a spent Spiker and a Carbine. He glanced briefly between the Door and the hallway. Finally, he saw a Chieftain appear, armed with a large hammer. It tried hitting him, but missed, and hit the door instead. It buckled slightly, but it held.

John had two choices: He could try and defy the odds, and use the door as a shield as he fell, or he could try tempt faith by engaging the Brutes.

It didn't take long to make up his mind.

As the Brute landed another strike on the floor, he let himself be flung away, and as he crashed into the door, it gave way, and he fell outwards. He grabbed the door, and used it as a shield, holding it between him and the ground.

And so, he fell.

And he suddenly felt a searing pain at the back of his skull, so intense he couldn't help but go unconscious.

* * *

High-Charity

Cortana appeared, as she knew she couldn't evade it. Before it could speak, as it approached her, she started speaking.

"I _know_ what you can do, Gravemind. I _know_ about Mendicant Bias, as well as the Logic plague. I ask that you do not speak in riddles, and that you don't try to quote some long-dead philosopher you've absorbed."

"Like you have a choice." it responded. "but you will answer my questions. For if you don't..."

suddenly, she felt a surge through all her systems, and she felt the Gravemind... somehow _connect_ to her. Like hooking a chatter up to a Computer for synchronization.

 _And it hurt._

" _I_ will ask. And _you_ will answer." the Gravemind demanded. "For _He_ can feel your pain. And if you resist..."

she felt another surge through her, like she was subjected to electrical torture, as she was subjected to the Gravemind's probes. It laughed. Cortana looked up in defiance.

"You might have me now, but he will come. He will get me. And he will take revenge."

The Gravemind laughed, as Flood Juggernauts entered the room her avatar appeared to be in. subsequently, like the door to her cell being slammed shut in front of her, she felt herself being locked out of the systems of the station, locked in a closed circuit, with no way out: the Holographic display her avatar was projected over. She knew this projector would be her prison for the foreseeable future.

It was a good thing she had prepared that message earlier, when she'd discovered the truth about the Ark, and deployed it on all Flood-Controlled ships that were docked with High-Charity.

"Let him try." the Gravemind said, as more different forms entered the room.

She saw with horror, that they had one thing different.

They were made from pure Flood tissue, with no host being necessary to create them. The Pure Forms, alongside the Juggernauts, all encircled her, guarding her from all who would try and take her.

"Let him try."

Cortana, despite her predicament, smirked. John had made a promise. And she knew that, no matter what, he would keep it.

"We make our own luck, Gravemind. You should know that by now." she just said, as she prepared for all the endless questions it would ask her. But she would hold out.

She needed to. Even if it meant sacrificing a part of herself.

Or she would go rampant. And no matter what, she had to prevent that.

* * *

Capital city of Kortan-Sho, Independent Sangheili Colony of Sang'Katarn.

 _One day after Thel's speech._

Six frowned, as she bumped into someone on her way to the Council Chamber.

She had, admittedly, not been looking around her as she'd walked, with a lot being on her mind. Within a few minutes, she would finally meet before the entire council, and the Kaidon would listen to her, and he would either listen, and he would send the UNSC reinforcements. Or he wouldn't, and she would get to fight Reghok, the one that had killed her family. Either way, she would be satisfied with the result.

But she had avoided Fol for days now, and he was getting suspicious. She knew she would never be able to hide her anticipation for the upcoming meeting, nor could she lie straight to his face in a believable manner, and so, to avoid it, she had avoided _him_. But that didn't mean she didn't regret it.

On the contrary: She hated doing this kind of thing. But she needed to. She wouldn't be able to keep her anticipation at fighting his father to the death from him. And so, she had avoided him.

But that didn't mean she liked it.

She looked up at the Sangheili she had bumped into. It was, to her surprise, the Commander of the Sang'Katarn fleets, Nera Katarn.

"I'm sorry." Six said. "I wasn't looking at where I was going."

"No worries. I was with my head up in the clouds myself." the Commander then looked at her. "Though I must ask. Why are you avoiding my Brother?"

Six shrugged. "I need to clear my head. Your Brother, as tolerant as he is of me, doesn't help at all with that. No offense, but none of your family will help."

"Why is that?" Nera persisted.

Six sighed. Clearly, there was no easy way out of this. She decided to go with a half-truth. "About a week ago, when I fought your brothers, T'kan and Kronos he left for Halo, I recognized someone. Someone who had taken someone close to me when he attacked my homeworld. It reminded me that I still have unresolved issues with your species."

Nera nodded in understanding. "Ah, grief you thought you'd gotten over, but didn't. I recognize it with my own mentor sometimes."

"Not so much Grief as it is Anger." Six corrected. "I'll be honest: I want to fight him to the death. But I know people here don't look kindly to murder. So, as much as it pains me, I'll hold my own leash."

Nera nodded. "I get it. Still, the Kaidon is not to be underestimated."

Six frowned. She knew he was a very skilled combatant, currently held back by a crippling injury suffered at a Spartan's hand. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Nera sighed. "Don't tell this to anyone. Oath of Silence between us."

Six nodded. "I promise."

"This is something only his flesh and blood know. Back when he was injured during that battle, the Kaidon I mean, we reached out to anyone that offered to revive him. In the end, we found a group. The Legionary Armada. They brought him back on his feet, using clones flesh and metal bone replacements. They even used multiple implants to fix up his shattered spine. But he changed after that. Became more Ruthless, more calculating. More persistent in pushing his will onto others. Kal challenged Reghok to a duel once he came of age." Nera paused. "He was hospitalized for a month. And Reghok showed no signs of remorse."

Six looked at Nera. "How is that possible? He's supposed to be crippled, only able to walk due to those braces."

Nera paused, and Six realized the truth. "A disguise."

"Indeed, thought of by Fol to hide his changed nature. People tend to look differently upon crippled elderlies than combat-ready warriors."

Six nodded. "So he's actually up and running. Anything else?"

"Some of the implants... did something to him. Made him stronger, and faster, more endurance. He's... the best comparison I can find is that he received the same treatment as Spartans."

Six shook her head. "I hate to disappoint you. But our enhancements are the result of genetical modifications to our bodies, not due to implants put inside our bodies."

Nera nodded. "But he's enhanced none the less."

Six nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Nera nodded. "Then I'll let you be on your way."

"You're not attending the meeting?" Six asked, confused.

"I will. But I will need to attend to our fleets above no matter the outcome. So I'll attend via Hologram."

Six nodded. "As Fol said: A very wise commander."

Nera smiled. "And you, as Fol said: one of Humanity's best, if not the best. Good luck."

Six went on her way, as Nera went to her own ship. Six entered the main Council Chamber. She nodded in greeting to the members she knew, and politely looked the ones she didn't in the eye. She then moved to the seat Fol had shown her earlier. It was in the front row, so to speak, and so, she would easily be able to jump in for a challenge. But the arena, or as others referred it to, the speaker's stage, was still five meters below her.

She rose, like the others, as Reghok entered. As usual, he was flanked by an honor guard of various species. He gestured for all of them to sit down, and so they did.

"I know why you are all here. But I have to ask this: Does the Spartan have anything new to add to the already made points told two weeks earlier?"

Six, after a moment, rose. "One minor change. If I may." she said, though it felt for her like it came through gritted Teeth. The sooner she was out of the room, the better. She knew she couldn't stand the Kaidon longer than she needed to.

"Of course." the Kaidon asked. "Speak your mind."

Six nodded. "The Sangheili, and the other Species may be splitting off, and may even be siding with Humanity, but you are still one of the most powerful states around here. We still need you, even if the urgency has lessened with that. You are more valuable than you think. That is all."

Reghok nodded. "Thank you." he then rose.

"And I disagree."

She saw the entire council, including Fol and the other visitors present, take on looks of surprise. Reghok saw them, and elaborated. "Look at all the support Humanity has now: The Fleets of the Sangheili, the Cannon fodder of the Unggoy, the Mgalekgolo shock-troopers of Te, the population of Balaho... the list goes on and on. We aren't as necessary any longer. They now have more tech than they ever dreamed of. And, if Thel's right, they'll support us eventually. What use are we?"

he then pointed at Six, making her blood boil. "She claims we need to stand together. But the Covenant's falling apart as it is. And Humanity's strengthened by the Arbiter. Why should we stick our necks out just when things start to become dangerous for us?"

"That's exactly the reason we should stick our necks out." Nera's hologram said. "We should all stand together. Or did you forget the reports about the Flood?"

"No. And that's exactly why we should hole up. They have no way to locate us once Kronos has returned home. Then we are safe in our fortress."

"And we will stand alone." Kal said. "We will be the only ones. And most species on this planet aren't genetically diverse enough to live longer than a few generations, and will die out. And how does that fit into your plan?"

"You forget one thing, _Battlemaster_." the Kaidon angrily retorted. " _I_ am the Kaidon. I _rule_ here."

Six took this as her signal. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Here, and now, she could fight the Kaidon to the death, without any consequences she cared about. She started to get up.

And was beaten to it, as Fol jumped into the arena from his seat.  
"No, Kaidon!" He spat angrily. "You will not hide when the Galaxy needs us the most! I challenge you to the duel!"

Reghok truly looked surprised. Six looked at Fol, wanting to call out at what he was doing, risking his...

Then it hit her.

He knew. He knew she would challenge his father, and she knew he was enhanced by the 'Legionary Armada'. And he knew that the chances of her being killed were very high. And he cared about her, as a friend. To the point he would rather face his own father in combat than let her die. She was genuinely touched.

Her Hate for Fol, at that moment, disappeared. And, if she looked deep inside her own heart, she found she couldn't find it.

She had to admit, she couldn't hate the Sangheili that faced his own father in order to protect her. No, she damn respected the Sangheili.

So that's what Friends do, apparently.

Reghok, however, after his surprise, merely sighed. "So be it. Field-Marshal. If you won't comply, you will be killed."

and with that, with the faked crippled appearance, he made his way inside the chamber. He then threw off his cloak, and grabbed both of his Katarns, activating their Blood red blades. Fol activated his own Katarns which he kept at home, one Purple, while the other was dark-blue. There was no ceremony, no ornamentally greetings. They just fought. Fol charged at his Father, who faked his crippled appearance even inside the arena. But as soon as Six saw Fol get in range, he struck, and he struck _hard_.

Reghok made a swipe at Fol's Purple blade, and it flew out of Fol's left hand. Reghok even faked the fact the gyros of the brace around his right leg had come stuck, and softly kicking it back in place. Then, just as Fol recovered from the blow, Reghok struck again, kicking at Fol's leg. Fol immediately fell, and with his free hand he clutched his leg, likely broken from the blow. Reghok loomed over him, like a vulture about to pick a near-dead prey.

"Because of your skills, and your reputation, you will live." Reghok said threateningly. "But _Dare_ challenge me again, and I won't be as forgiving."

Six had enough. She couldn't just watch as Fol was publicly humiliated. She jumped from her seat.

Into the arena.

"I will not let other people fight for me. Not when I am still fit to fight myself. I challenge you."

If any Councilor was still talking, or had diverted his attention elsewhere, they were now silent, all attention on her. Six smiled. They didn't expect, or didn't want to believe, that Six would challenge the Kaidon. Still, she knew this would be one tough fight.

Fol looked at her pleadingly, begging her silently not to do this. She shook her head slightly. He just sunk his head. Reghok, however, looked pleased.

"I always wanted to fight a Spartan. I accept."

Six nodded, and she activated her Katarn, which she somehow managed to give a black blade, and her backup, normal Energy Sword. The combatants waited, as Fol managed to limp his way out of the Arena. As soon as he was out of the arena, however, she cautiously approached the Kaidon. As soon as she knew he was in range, she jumped. As expected, the Kaidon slashed where she'd been standing a split second earlier. She landed, and gave him a kick in the back, and slashed away at his defenses. He kicked up at her stomach, and, to her incredible surprise, she was tossed halfway across the arena. She landed face-first on the floor of the Arena. She got up, and looked at the Kaidon. And he looked straight back at her.

"I see you have realized my true strength." the Kaidon said. And he stood up. And he ripped at his braces, pulling them off with incredible strength. He holstered one of the Katarns, and grabbed the frame of the false supporting brace with the other, like an improvised whip.

Six just glared. "What are you now? A cyborg?"

Reghok laughed menacingly. "Not cyborg. A Cerberus unit. Unit 2.3.8. did you really think the miracles performed on me came without a cost?"

Six shook her head. "No. but I figured someone like you was more honorable."

the Kaidon growled, and he sprinted towards her. And Six immediately went on the defensive, as he was on her faster than even an ordinary Spartan. In fact, the only person she'd seen was faster was Kelly. And she wasn't nearly as strong. She was forced further and further back. Until she hit the wall with her back.

Reghok then whipped around his old frame harness, and the next thing she knew, her Visor cracked, and multiple parts of it weren't properly visible anymore. Then, the Kaidon stabbed at her right arm, and she knew it had at the least been cut, at the most broken. She was then flung across the arena. She skidded across the ground for a few meters, before she crashed into the other wall.

She shook her head, trying to clear the haze covering her vision. But, as it refused to clear, she realized it wasn't really her head. Rather, it was her helmet. Whatever he had done, it had damaged her visor and was blocking her visuals. She got up until she stood straight, and, between a small crack, she could see the Kaidon was standing triumphantly, daring others to challenge him.

"Is there anyone else willing to come down here?"

Six cleared her throat to draw the Kaidon's attention, and he whirled around. Instantly, she could see he was angry. But he also laughed.

"Back for more?" he asked, as he stalked over to her.

She laughed. "In a way."

then, throwing her orders from Section III out the window, she took off her helmet.

She didn't want to break those orders, as she really valued her anonymity. But she needed to in order to survive. And besides, she wanted the Kaidon to look her in the eye, and recognize her.

Evidently, he did, for he stopped right in his tracks. He immediately got a shocked, yet enraged expression.

"You." he said, as his left hand subconsciously went to his scarred back. Six, letting her shoulder-length hair, part of it tied back in a ponytail, fall across the side of her face.

"Yes. Me." she started circling him. He mirrored her, going in the same direction.

"You want payback?" she asked, raising her Katarn and Energy Sword, using her anger and pain to fuel herself. She silently gasped, as she felt her face tense, and a piece of Shrapnel she hadn't noticed yet moving and cutting across her face. "I want the same. Let's see who gets it."

The Kaidon nodded. "Oh, I will enjoy carving you up."

Six laughed. "Funny. I was about to suggest putting you on a barbecue."

and then, as reckless as it was, she charged at the Kaidon. And he charged at her. Their blades met.

* * *

 **And on this Cliffhanger, we end the Story here. I hope you all enjoy it so far. to be honest, I don't know if I did well with that long speech, so any kind of Feedback about it is appreciated.**

 **Until later**

 **Gharst Omenlumin**


	7. Epilogue 1: Do make your call

**Now, Legion, you will see that I, while with a just reason, am not one you should cross. for I _will_ take revenge.**

* * *

Epilogue 1: Do make your call: One Bullet, One Choice, One Outcome

* * *

Legion directive: K34-9  
Date: 26-12-2545  
Location: Paytak Colony, Sector Nairobi, Covenant Space

Primary objective: Eliminate Covenant Leadership  
Secondary objective: Secure Dig sites  
Indoctrination Objective: Councilor Ra'ak Tulam'ee

Legion: Stormtrooper 9th division Joint ops

Commanding officer: High Commander Gharst Omenlumin

* * *

Gharst hit Tulam'ee square in the jaws as he beat him to a pulp. The councilor, temporarily staying on his home colony due to the dangers of the war, fell to the ground, not resisting Gharst. He was disappointed.

"Get up. Get up! I'm not done with you." Gharst said angrily. He had looked forward to this for a long time.

Tulam'ee turned his head to Gharst. "Why? So you can humiliate me once more?" he spat out some purple blood, and Gharst saw, to his satisfaction, that a few teeth went with it.

"You have no honor." Tulam'ee accused him, and Gharst's blood started to boil. Tulam'ee realized his life as he knew it would end. He had realized that the moment the Legion's 9th fleet had descended on the planet. Yet here he was, provoking Gharst. Despite his anger, Gharst admitted that took guts.

But if he knew what Gharst was going to do, he would be saying something else entirely.

"You are no Sangheili." He continued. "You are a traitor!"

Gharst, unable to contain his anger any longer, landed another punch in the face, eager to kill this pathetic excuse of a councilor. Tulam'ee dropped flat again.

"Honor? What of it?" Gharst asked, still in anger. "What has it brought _you_? It is a dying concept. And you are paying for upholding it."

Tulam'ee grunted as he got to his knees, holding his jaw and stomach. He managed to raise himself to one knee, despite both of his hands being occupied. "What has happened to you?" Tulam'ee asked between a few painful breaths. Gharst realized that during his beating of him, he might have cracked a few ribs.

"Why?" Tulam'ee asked, only interrupting himself to cough up a bit more blood. "Such darkness… so much hate… "he managed to wheeze.

Gharst got up, and grabbed his assault rifle. He gestured to Tulam'ee to do the same.

"Why?'Gharst asked, astonished Tulam'ee could forget what he had done to Gharst. " _why_? I have devoted my life to serving your damned lies. I have sacrificed everything to please _you_." He let his anger slip through. "And you. You brand me a heretic, for saving my men."

"That is during the war that's going on around us." Tulam'ee tried to plead. "How can you judge me when I was simply following orders? I HAD NO CHOICE!"

"There is always a choice!" Gharst retorted. "You chose to murder. You chose to see their corpses fall. To _burn_." Gharst paused, the sight passing before his eyes once again.

His men, of his three ships, falling, being killed.

On the orders of the Sangheili High Council.

"But that was not enough." Gharst continued, his tone taking on a touch of sadness along with the anger. "You made me watch. You made me watch as _seven_ _thousand_ of my…" Gharst paused for a second, his throat caught. This was the worst part. Being forced to watch, and being able to do _nothing_ to help them. It still wrecked him apart to this day.

"My men were slaughtered." Gharst continued. "how their corpses piled in front of me. How their last image was of me, standing, doing nothing." Gharst turned away in anger, not able to look in Tulam'ee's eyes. He took a few steps towards the closest window, where other Legion personnel had Tulam'ee's keep surrounded.

"But how could I, when I had a rifle pointed at my head?" Gharst asked rhetorically. "My jaws broken. My eyes… opened. Forcefully opened. I couldn't even scream to them. I couldn't even reach out." Gharst tone had no more anger in it. Just sadness, regret, and pain. He betted even the cold-hearted Stormtroopers holding Tulam'ee at gunpoint could sympathize with that.

"It was not my decision!"Tulam'ee pleaded. "You can't blame me for that! You must understand this!"

"NOT YOUR DECISION?" Gharst asked. Was Tulam'ee truly that naïve? Did he truly believe he was innocent? That arrogant bastard! He would die a slow, painful death when the time came. Gharst turned back to the Councilor, and started to slowly walk towards him, like a predator swooping in on it's prey. "YOU ARE A PART OF THAT DAMNED COUNCIL! You were there when I was summoned. You spoke against me. I remember it all. And if it's a crime to save my men ." Gharst paused, savoring the moment. The other personnel in the room, including Recko, were enjoying this. "Then what you did was HERESY!"

"You disobeyed orders when you ran from Cole's fleet."Tulam'ee retorted. "You cost us precious time. You were made an example of."

"Throwing ships to their doom is not an order." Gharst retorted, having regained a bit of his composure. "It's murder! You knew I wasn't up to it to defeat Cole. And yet you ordered me to engage him anyway. You are more of a monster than I can ever be!"

"Then why toy with me?" Tulam'ee asked angrily. "Kill me, and be done with this!"

"Kill you?" Gharst asked, amused despite his anger. No, Tulam'ee's fate would be comparable to Gharst's own. "No. I have not come here for that. I came here to repay you the _kindness_ you showed me."

On que, the pair of Stormtrooper Elites guarding the main entrance behind Gharst stepped forward. They came to a stop beside Gharst, and had their rifles raised at Tulam'ee.

"You've made a mistake by keeping me alive." Gharst said. "You made a mistake killing my men." He then took on an amused tone. "Ironically, I must thank you as well. Were it not for that day, I wouldn't have been able to build my legions. I wouldn't have a true purpose."

Gharst's men, including all former members of the Covenant had found in hidden files on High-Charity that the Oracle that had been inside the dreadnaught had briefly been activated at the start of the war against humanity, and that it had said that humanity were the Reclaimers. Gharst had reasoned that if the Humans weren't the infidels they were claimed to be, what else might be false? What if the Journey was false, and the Halo's weren't the divine things they were prophesied to be. Recko had secretly ensured this belief had spread throughout the legion, and Commander Coldrun had even ensured the ex-covenant members despised the current belief about Halo and the Forerunners. It made them extra obedient, and resulted in less defections.

"And you think being a mercenary is a purpose?" Tulam'ee asked, oblivious to Gharst's thoughts. Gharst briefly looked at the Stormtrooper to his side. "No. But _money_ is. You know, all this talk of murder and honor really showed me how _blind_ I was." He pointed at Tulam'ee's chest. "My job was simply to scare you, and I don't like disappointing my clients. But I might make an exception for you. You see, I've killed every one of you. I _almost_ felt sorry for Baton'ee, and his colony."

"That was you?" Tulam'ee asked with shock, realizing Gharst's true might. The glassing of Ute'k Mardee had been a shock to the mainstream Covenant, and it had started a rumor of a force of retribution going across the Sangheili colonies, looking for revenge over the unnecessary killing of humanity. Superstition, of course. But Gharst was willing to abuse the rumor. As he did with the colony of Paytak.

"Of course."Gharst said, pride slipping into his voice. "But you. I have a… _special_ punishment.." He let anger slip into his voice again. "time for you to feel what I felt, and _live with it_!" He then turned to the only human in the room.

Colonel Gregory Recko.

"Recko, get his family here. Start with his children. Then his Spouse. Kill their pet if you wish. But make him watch. Every. Single. Second." He put an emphasis on each of the last three words. "Make it slow." He turned to leave, but forgot something. He turned back to Recko. "Make sure they _scream_." he said malevolently.

After only a moment's hesitation, Recko nodded, and he moved into the nearly abandoned keep. The rest of the family had moved out, trying to defend the Keep. They had been killed, and only Tulam'ee's family remained alive. They would be easy to find.

Tulam'ee looked up with realization and horror. "NO! NO! I BEG OF YOU! JUST TAKE ME! LEAVE THEM ALONE! PLEASE, THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO YOU!"

Gharst started to leave. At the last plea, he stopped for a moment. He slightly turned his head. "Neither did my men." He calmly retorted. He then turned back towards the exit. And calmly walked out.

"MONSTER!" Tulam'ee called after him. "MURDERER! TRAITOR! YOU'D BETTER KILL ME! OR I SWEAR I WILL HUNT YOU TO THE END OF MY DAYS! I WILL DRINK THE BLOOD FROM YOUR HEART! I WILL NEVER STOP! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"

Gharst ignored the Elite cursing him. He was no threat. He was under shot by twelve Stormtroopers and two Cerberus units. If he resisted, he would be killed on the spot. But Gharst knew he wouldn't. he was too cowardly for that. No, he would ensure he'd live, so he might one day take his revenge on Gharst.

As he marched out, he could see the Legion had already secured the entire planet, and that no one would resist him. As he walked, he could see Warthogs, Revenants and Specters patrolling the area around the Keep and the city beyond it. He calmly marched over to his private Falcon.

As Gharst waited for the inevitable noise, he saw Jan Coldrun walk up to him.

"Break his jaws, and his knees." Gharst said. "Leave him on some remote Colony where he isn't instantly shot on sight. And leave him a gun, with one bullet."

"You're letting him go?" Coldrun asked. "Why?"

"I'm giving him something he has not given me: a choice."

Jan nodded, and went off to make the preparations. Gharst waited again.

At last, he heard it: the continuous firing of human assault rifles into Sangheili bodies, coming from inside the Keep. It was followed a split second later by the loudest scream of anguish Gharst had ever heard come from an Elite.

He smiled.

* * *

 _Three days later_

Gharst was analyzing the reports in his personal office on the success of the mining of the colony of Paytak, which was actually ahead of Schedule, when Coldrun walked in.

"He took the bait." Jan said. "he knows I was a stray pilot of one of the Seraphs that survived the destruction of the three ships, and he tried to shoot me as my back was turned. He missed, though." He huffed in annoyance. "Politicians."

"Had you made sure he would be found?" Gharst asked.

"Local militia got in, distress call from a downed shuttle. They won't be too happy to see an Elite, but He'll live."

"Assemble the 7th and 9th legions." Gharst ordered. "I want this colony to patrolled and under constant surveillance. Make sure our forces are properly equipped. Wouldn't want to flash our colors around the population." Gharst said. While their fleet now numbered in over three hundred ships, they wouldn't last long in a war against either the UNSC or the Covenant. They were still young, and hadn't had as many strongholds as either. Only barely a month ago, Achilles unit had sacrificed itself so the Legion had its own place to call home. Their own planet. They were added to the memorial, and they, the original three Cerberus units, would be missed.

Of course, there were now hundreds to replace them.

"Of course." Jan said. "I'll make them look… _mundane_. But what of their active forces?" Jan asked.

"Expendable."Gharst said dismissively.

"Understood." Jan said, and he turned to complete his task.

Gharst halted him for a moment as he exited the doorway. "Jan. Make sure we won't lose him."

Jan nodded, and he went on his way.

Gharst went back to analyzing the metals they had recovered from the Colony. It had been a goldmine in both precious ores and Forerunner sites. Which was why it was that they sent a Councilor to secure it. It was a valuable place to the Hierarchs. But Gharst had already analyzed all the data that had been recovered, and sent it to R&D to see if they could glean something new from the artifacts.

The Materials, however, were to be found in massive amounts. It would take longer than with Ute'k Mardee. But they had the ships now to provide protection. They could afford it. He read the short summary his AI, Hades, had made of the mining operations.

 _Minerals:_

 _Platinum  
Rhodium  
Gold  
Iridium  
Osmium  
Palladium  
Rhenium  
Germanium  
Beryllium  
Silver  
gallium  
Indium  
Tellurium  
Mercury  
Bismuth_

 _Estimated mining period:_

 _137 Planetary rotations_

Gharst looked up from the console he stood behind.

"So. What changed your mind?" Recko asked. Gharst, so concentrated on reading the report that he hadn't heard Recko come in. he sighed.

"No matter how many of them we kill, it will not change the outcome:" Gharst finally said, as he brought up the images of all those they had killed: Colonel Swagger, Baton'ee, a minor bureaucrat who had abandoned his ODST squadmates early in the war, and the survivors of which Gharst had taken into his fold, a few other Sangheili councilors who had betrayed him that day, among dozens of others.

"The ways of old are dying. If we fail to adept now, there will be no hope for the galaxy." He then replaced all of those people with an image of what Recko and his team had found on an abandoned Forerunner Gas mine. One which had cost him six Cerberus soldiers to take down. Still few compared to what they had now, but in Gharst and Recko's mind still the costliest battle to date. A monstrous being. One which the Forerunners had fought millennia ago. One which they had lost from, and in their desperation, wiped the galaxy clean of sentient life in order to stop it.

"We are the last line of defense against the darkness that is coming, Recko. We must be prepared."

"How does mentally scarring him help us?" Recko asked. "You've even broken him, now."

"Fear is a powerful tool." Gharst said. A lesson he and Recko had learned very well. "But hate? Hate is unstoppable." He added Tulam'ee's image to the others. "he will never stop. He will find a way back to me. And he won't be alone."Gharst tone took on one of satisfaction. "He will do our job of _recruiting_ for us. I guarantee you: He will see the truth. When the time comes."

"You sound so sure of it." Recko asked, amused. He crossed his arms "How can you know?"

"I am all the evidence you, and I, require." Gharst answered. He knew Recko understood: he had told Recko the entire story the moment they had gotten him off Sephora, after he was recruited. Recko had understood, and had established an Intelligence network for the then-small group, to help Gharst locate the Councilors responsible for the massacre. It had come a long way since then.

"I hope you made a spectacle of it." Gharst continued. "He needed to believe it."

When they had executed Tulam'ee's family, they had made quite a show of it. Tulam'ee, as suspected, thought they were dead. What they didn't know, however, was that Recko had his men use stun rounds instead of live rounds.  
"Of course." Recko answered, pausing. "But it's a big risk. I am not sure even _I_ am able to convert them. They are _far_ too old." He was referring to the brainwashing process Recko had worked on and perfected, after Cerberus had made a breakthrough in cost-levels shortly after Ute'k Mardee. They now took everyone who showed the right skillset. But not everyone was willing, and so Recko was working on new Brainwashing techniques. According to his last report, things were coming along. But if Recko said it would be difficult to convert children…

No, Gharst needn't worry. He knew Recko would try anyway, just to satisfy his curiosity. He had a burning desire to create the ultimate soldier, so no one had to die needlessly on their side of the conflict. And he would do anything for said desire. Even kill Sangheili children if they proved inadequate.

"Breaking the mind of a child is easier than crushing their skull." Gharst assured him. "And Sangheili children are easily manipulated." He paused, considering their plan. If they were to convert Tulam'ee and his followers, the children needed to be obedient. To him.

"I want them to be obedient, Recko. They will be our greatest asset."

"What of the female?" Recko asked.

"I'm sure you require more… _volunteers_. For Cerberus." Gharst obliged him.

They then turned back to their business at hand: The mining of Paytak, and what they would do afterwards. Gharst, Jan and Recko had worked out their larger scheme, but they knew they didn't have the resources to do what they needed to do. And so, until they did, they would continue raiding. Until they had enough supplies for everything they needed.

"What is our status with the Extractors?" he asked, referring to their mining division. The Extractors took all the resources from the planet for the Legion. They would be the ones mining the Colony.

"The Colonists believe that, after the fleet left, that the ones that returned were merely independent contractors. They are assisting us with the drill sites at all locations. With their assistance, we should have it done…" he briefly consulted his datapad, processing the information. "Two days ahead of schedule."

"Good. 7th and 9th Legions will be providing security detail for the mining teams." he looked at Recko briefly. "Have Cerberus units begun the assassination of local council officials?" Recko, as a privilege of being the Project's mastermind, had direct control over all Cerberus units. Though they answered to Gharst in name, he knew they would all side with Recko if there ever formed a splitting between the two of them.

"All of the Special teams. Within twelve hours, we should have full control of the Colony, with minimal losses to the population." Recko answered.

"With the 4th and 5th Fleets securing orbital positions later on, and Stormtroopers securing the last of the docks, we should have this Rock stripped in a few months."Gharst stated, going by the new information. "Dispatch the 2nd Fleet to the Virga sector. The Palatar Colony will be an easy target, and serve as a distraction."

Recko nodded. After a minute of Recko processing the information, he finally stepped forward, standing beside Gharst at the console. "So. We're really doing it?"

"This is only the first step, Recko." Gharst said, surprised the human hadn't realized that yet. "If we can't conquer this Galaxy, then we will simply _buy it out_." He briefly glanced at the controls of the console, contemplating something.

"Your people have assaying." He started. "'Money is power.' But what happens when you combine our power with the power of Greed? We could win wars with a single transaction." Gharst paused, an amusing thought entering his mind. "We can start them just as easy."

"There is another saying." Recko said, concerned. "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

"That is why I will distribute each legion their own sector." He reassured Recko. "But we are thinking too far ahead. For now, we follow with our original tactic. The Human colony of Everest is our next target, as well as Luna 6." He turned to Recko. "Prepare scouting parties. We strike in four weeks."

"Will be done." Recko said, as simply as if he was doing an easy chore, instead of planning a planet's fall. He uncrossing his arms and moving out of the office.

"And Recko." He called out, stopping him, like Jan, at the Threshold of the door. "Oversee the mining operations."

Recko just moved on. No more needed to be said, and so, no more was said. Recko was a smart man. They couldn't leave an operation of this scale to Kr'ata or one of the other sub commanders. Besides, Kr'ata was busy with their homeworld, expanding their territory on it. Overseeing a mining operation was no amusing job, but it needed doing. And Recko would do it.

Gharst turned back to his console. He chose the image he had looked at the most: One of the Milky way galaxy, unfiltered or anything. He thought back to the Threat Recko and his men had found at that colony owned by the Sovereign Colonies. The things were found in their territory, and so, Gharst would leave the containment of the things to them. But that was the problem: the Sovereign Colonies knew how to contain, but not how to Eradicate. And this parasite, this flood, needed Eradication. He made a mental note to propose quarantining Aegis VII at the next meeting with the commanders. It had, to his unfortunate surprise, contained a genetic mutation of the things. One that, although different in appearance from their standard forms, was much tougher to kill than normal Combat forms. And while Recko and Gharst knew how they could be killed now, they were still a very real threat. One Tulam'ee needed to see as well.

"I will prepare you for the future." Gharst said. He didn't know, though, if he was addressing Tulam'ee or the galaxy at that moment. "Even if I have to destroy you first." He closed the image, and went on to the next report, one concerning the need for more rations on one of the Legion ships.

"I won't let _them_ have you."

* * *

 **In the end, we are all monsters. it's merely a matter of how much pain you can endure before that monster inside of you is released. but while Monsters can be held in check, angry madmen can't.**

 **Gharst Omenlumin**


	8. Epilogue 2: Real Change

Epilogue 2: Real change comes from one man standing up against those that oppose him

High Council chamber, Angel City, Insurrectionist Colony, designated 'Troy'

Date: 03-11-2535

* * *

Michael just watched on, as the Council destroyed itself.

He, like all of those present on the council, had been granted this position because they had founded the R.I.F. together, and Hammond, as naïve as he was, believed they would be able to bring about some actual change. That the UNSC, and ONI along with it, could be overthrown. That real change would come.

But that wasn't to be. They remained in the shadows, hidden from sight except for Castilla's occasional raid. The Council, while at first vowing to not fall for the same trappings as Earthgov had done, they had all been corrupted by pride and greed. They schemed to overthrow each other even more than they planned to take down the UEG, or Earthgov, as the Sovereign Colonies mockingly called it.

Hammond was a good ally of the Sovereign Colonies. Somewhere in the twenty-fourth century, a small group of colonies had increased their wealth exponentially through the intensive mining of uninhabitable planets, and had, in exchange for higher taxes and a share of their profits, even gained a degree of independence from the UEG. They had subsequently grown to be enormous, to the point they had control over twenty star sectors. Hammond would have been jealous if he hadn't been a wealthy businessman himself, and the fact that the insurrection had been inspired by the Sovereign Colonies. But, unlike the Sovereign Colonies, the insurrectionists hadn't had the wealth the Sovereign Colonies had, and a rebellion had ensued from the resulting tensions and the refusal of the UEG to let the Outer Colonies secede.

Deep down, Michael Hammond was an idealist. And he had created the R.I.F. alongside others in the hope they could bring about actual change in the UEG. But, like all perfect dreams, it was too good to be true. Hammond had found out the hard way that only he and Castilla were still trying to overthrow Earthgov. His self-produced Specter-Class Combat droids were proof of that.

Hammond was, aside from a business man, also a electrical and mechanical genius. When he had first proposed that Combat droids would assist in their frontline efforts, and with the backing of Castilla and a few bribed councilors, they had been implemented across Troy, their headquarters. Yet here, his creation was being used to guard the one man that had given Hammond hope over the last decade.

Marcus Graves.

During a battle with the Covenant three months earlier, the R.I.F. had been outnumbered ten-to-one in a space battle between Graves' Guardian Angel and a fleet of an Assault Carrier, two Battlecruisers, three Destroyers and four Corvettes. The Council had ordered Graves to retreat, and let the Fleet have the star system. And yet, Graves had managed to beat them, decimating the fleet by luring it into an asteroid belt near Scorpio VI. The carrier had been the only one to survive the massive asteroids, and Graves had subsequently finished it off by firing a MAC round at the engine block, destroying it.

He had been hailed by Hammond, Castilla and the general public as a war hero, and people had wanted to celebrate his victory upon his return. Hammond had even wanted to use this as an opportunity to present the corrupt council with his new design for a warship. With their current infrastructure they surely could afford to build it on a larger scale.

But Hammond's mood had soured when he had learned that the Council had called for Graves' arrest, for disobeying a direct order. Castilla had been furious, and she, alongside Hammond, had protested the Council's decision for days. But the idiots could not be swayed. And that had sealed Hammond's decision: by the end of the meeting, Hammond would initiate a coup, and put Graves on as the new head of state.

Any sane man, or even one with half a brain, would have let this slide, and hailed Hammond a war hero, given him a promotion, or any of the things Hammond could name from the top of his head. But these idiots that called themselves a Council, were too dumb to realize that. They were killing the R.I.F. with their stupidity, putting one of their best commanders on trial for merely disobeying a direct order, while the results of that disobedience were far more favorable for them.

He had conferred with Castilla, and while she agreed she that the Council had to go, she didn't believe anyone could really replace them. After all, many people still had the same ideals as the UNSC at heart, and they wouldn't take kindly to a Coup. But there wouldn't _be_ an R.I.F. if the Council remained. And so Hammond had prepared Spyglass: A modified Specter Combat unit capable of overseeing command of all the Specters… _including_ the ones controlled by other Council members.

Spyglass would, upon Hammond's signal, override control over all specters and, as a symbol of trust, give executive command of Spyglass and the Specters, to Graves. It was the least Hammond owed him.

And so, Hammond waited and watched, as the Council drowned on about all the charges they had prepared against Graves. MacAllen and Allison Graves, Marcus' Executive officer and adopted daughter respectively, were invited as witnesses to the event, both to let them say goodbye to their friend and as an example of what would happen if they followed in Graves' footsteps. Hammond suspected they wouldn't be deterred, though.

After the lead Prosecutor, Head Councilor Eden Melvin, had droned on long enough, Hammond stood up. "Melvin, all due respect, can you just get along with it? Unlike you, _I_ don't have all day to listen to the charges." Most of the audience members laughed at the dry humor. Melvin just sighed. "Very well. To skip all of the charges, and carry out the sentencing. For crimes that can be defined as Treason, you, Marcus Graves, are sentenced to receive the death penalty. You will be executed tomorrow in a very public display, so all can see what happens when one defies the Council."

So _this_ was why they did it. The Council, feeling threatened by all the support Graves was getting among the people, thought he was a threat to their power, and wanted him disposed of. They wanted him killed, and publicly, so people would know what happened when one defied their orders. Hammond admitted that it was clever. For this council at least to be able to perceive a threat.

But they were going about it completely the wrong way. If they executed Graves publicly, the people would be outraged. They would rebel against the council, and the R.I.F. would be torn apart in the chaos. Hammond would not allow that to happen. He sent the single to Spyglass, along with a single order: _Play along, as soon as the Council orders you to open fire, hold it. Then hold the corrupt ones at gunpoint. As soon as I ask you to identify yourself, you state it, and executive command will transfer to Captain Marcus Graves._

"Do you have anything to add, Mr. Graves?" another Councilor asked.

Marcus stood up, flanked by a pair of Specters. "I do. You are mistaken to have me killed. You will kill the R.I.F. with this. If you kill me the people will rebel. And what will happen then? Did all of your 'schemes' take account of that?"

"Enough." Melvin said. "take-"

But Graves wasn't finished yet. "Your plotting against each other has brought the R.I.F. to its knees. Did you not think we wouldn't find out about all the funds you have been stealing? About all of the-"

Melvin then stood up. And Hammond could see that, despite his outrage, Melvin started to actually fear Graves. "If you don't shut up yourself, then I will make you shut up. Guards!"

On que, two doors on the side of the chamber opened, and Eight Specter units walked in, their light and slender bodies still having a fearsome appearance. They took firing positions before Graves, and raised their rifles. "For this outrage and insolence, your execution has been rescheduled. To right now." Melvin stood, and looked around. "Anyone against?"

None of the Councilors stood, either agreeing with Melvin or too afraid to oppose him outright. There was, however, someone else who did stand up.

James MacAllen.

"I oppose this 'court' of yours. One which has proven that it isn't out for justice, but for power and money." He moved to stand between the Specters and the bound Graves. "If he is to die, then I will die with him."

Hammond noted that Allison, while MacAllen spoke, had moved to the side, ready to pull MacAllen and Graves out of the way if need be. Melvin, however, had noticed as well. "Ms. Graves, if you would be so kind as to move out of the firing area?"

Allison sighed, and she moved. However, like MacAllen, she moved further into the range of the firing squad. Marcus sighed. "Allie, don't do this."

"No." Allison said. "If you are to die, then I will as well. We don't abandon each other, after all."

"Touching." Melvin said. "But still a wasted gesture. Anyone else willing to die? No? then Specters, open fire." Hammond really hoped at that instant his self-built override worked.

To his great relief, it did.

Instead of opening fire, the Specters lowered their rifles, and they all, including the ones flanking Graves, moved to stand behind a Councilor, one each. One paused briefly in order to remove Graves' cuffs, and the followed his Brethren in doing so as well. Only Castilla and Hammond weren't held at gunpoint. The three that were to be executed only moments before looked around in Shock, with Allison being the least shocked. Graves looked at Hammond, as did Castilla and Melvin.

"What is the meaning of this?" Melvin asked, starting to panic. "Hammond, do something! These are your droids! FIX THIS!"

"I am fixing the problem." Hammond said calmly, and he pressed a key on his datapad. At once, the door Graves had entered through opened, and Spyglass, flanked by two Specters walked in. Spyglass turned to the Council. "By Orders of Michael Hammond," Spyglass said with a heavy, monotone and robotic voice "you, Eden Melvin, along with all of your associates, are to be arrested for crimes against the R.I.F. You are to be imprisoned for Crimes of the highest order, namely corruption and misuse of power."

Everyone turned to Hammond, most having looks of shock on their face. Only Graves, however, had a different look: one of hope.

Melvin, while in shock, was outraged. "You Traitor! I will have your corpse for this!"

"No, you won't." Hammond said. He then turned to Spyglass. "Spyglass, state your identity, purpose and loyalty."

Spyglass nodded. "I am a Tactical Analysis Droid of the Specter units. I oversee their tactics in combat, and determine who is a legitimate target and who isn't. My designation: Spyglass. My Commander and Operator: Captain Marcus Graves."

He turned to Graves, who had a surprised look on his face. Still, Hammond saw he was also pleased with this. Not with the prospect of controlling Spyglass, Hammond suspected, but with what good he could do with the Specters backing him. Spyglass' eye turned from green to light blue. "What are your orders, Sir?" he asked.

Graves immediately turned to the Council. "Have these people taken to the Brig. Publish all evidence of their corruption to all R.I.F. personnel, and prepare the population for a speech. Prepare to broadcast it across all channels." He then turned to the others. "And I'd like to have a private conversation with you, Hammond, Castilla, MacAllen and Allison."

Spyglass nodded. "Yes, Sir." As one, the Specters took the Councilors by their arms, hoisted them up, and hauled them away. As Melvin was dragged away, though, he did something stupid.

He tried to escape.

He pulled out a power cable in the neck of the Specter, stunning it for the moment. He then grabbed the Specter's rifle, and tried to aim it at Hammond, trying to take down the Traitor with him.

Before he could fire, though, Allison jumped in between, grabbed Melvin's hand holding the trigger, and pulled it out of its socket. Before Melvin could scream, though, she grabbed him by his other arm, and twisted it behind his neck. She then held out her hand. MacAllen, understanding her silent request, grabbed the Cuffs that had bound Graves a few minutes earlier, and gave them to her. Allison immediately cuffed Melvin in two seconds, and gave him a punch to the nose for good measure.

Melvin fell down, his nose broken from Allison's punch, and Hammond saw a lot of blood flow freely. She turned to the Specter, who had been repaired by Spyglass. "Treat his nose and blood loss, then put him in isolation. That will cool him off."

The Specter nodded, and carted the broken Melvin away, who was too busy with his nose to scream at them or curse them.

As the door closed, Graves turned to Hammond and Castilla, who had since come down from the Councilor's seats. "Were you a part of this, Captain?" Graves asked.

"No. Although I did know Hammond was planning a Coup. I never suspected something this drastic, though." She sent a glare to Hammond as she said this. Hammond shrugged. "desperate times, desperate measures. I did what needed to be done in order to let the R.I.F. survive. If in my position, you would have done the same thing."

"As much as I'd like to believe it" MacAllen said. "I don't believe you did this purely because of patriotism. So what's the real reason you staged this coup ahead of schedule?"

Hammond sighed. "With the Covenant on the rise, and more and more colonies falling, we need to be united and strong. Melvin and his ilk were pulling resources from here and there in order to have an advantage over the other. We haven't had a true symbolic leader. True, Castilla is a good Captain, and she leads the war effort. But she doesn't have the air of someone the people would want as their true leader." Castilla nodded in agreement.

"And besides." Hammond continued. "I've wanted to have many more projects approved that will aid the war effort. The Council blocked the majority due to their idiocy, but I have faith you can see reason."

Hammond grabbed his data-pad, and pulled up the majority of the projects he had in mind: The Titan-Program, the Sentinel-class ships, the Pilot training for the Titans, the Data-knifes… he showed them all.

Graves and MacAllen looked them over, before Graves handed it to his daughter.

"How soon can the first of these be finished?" MacAllen asked.

"Depends on which project gets more priority. The Titans? Three years. The Pilots and their training? About a decade. The Data-knifes? About six months for the prototypes, a year for mass-production. The Sentinel? About a decade and a half, two at the most. But we can afford it. Our infrastructure is solid enough now that we have the resources of the other councilors. And while I still will hold money back in order to get more income through my Sovereign Colonies contacts, I promise I will donate 75% of my annual income, and 50% of the Company's profits."

Graves nodded. "Prioritize the production of the Sentinel, and start laying the groundworks for everything else. And I have one small request."

Hammond nodded. "I'll do my best to grant it. Ask."

"Do what you can to find out more about ONI's Supersoldier program. There've been rumors about them for years, and if they are true, so will be the rumors about their armor. I want to have our pilots to wear upgraded versions of it. Lighter, so the Pilots can wear it, yet just as strong and durable."

Hammond nodded, despite his doubts. "I'll do what I can. But that's more of a job for an intelligence division. And, as much as I hate to admit it, we don't have one due to our hatred of ONI."

Castilla, however, stepped forward. "I have a large amount of contacts, and I've had some minor experience heading a small intelligence group. I can do it."

Graves whirled around. "You've done enough, ma'am. You don't n-"

"I have watched for years as the Council tore itself apart. I have watched people die because of the Council's stupidity and ignorance. You are the brightest spot of hope our people have had for years. I won't let you fall because of bad intel." Castilla insisted. "I know I can't run it the entire time, but I'll do what I can."

Graves sighed. "Very well. But as soon as someone trustworthy comes along that can replace you as head of intelligence, I'm taking it. You have done enough for us, Castilla."

She nodded, and then gestured towards the door. "Come on, then. The people will be waiting."

* * *

Sarah just watched, as the Specters knocked on doors, and asked people to gather in the square. Sarah, who had been in her home with her aunt, had no idea what it was about. The Rumor was that the Council was going to reward Graves for his actions near Scorpio 6. But Sarah knew better. Under the guidance of her older friend Allison, Sarah had developed her skills at asking the right questions at the right time, digging deeper than most people into government secrets, and sneaking around in restricted areas. And she had learned that the council was corrupt to its core, and that they would view Graves as a threat due to his increased public support.

She looked up, as the speaker's stage lit up. Councilor Hammond, the one with the least amount of evidence of corruption, stood at the stage. He tapped the Microphone to ensure everyone was silent. After the murmurs of the people quieted down, he spoke.

"As you know, Captain Marcus Graves has recently returned to us, after a massive military victory in the Scorpio system. He managed to defeat ten Covenant capital ships, each of which outclassed his own. A great act of courage, most, including myself, would say."

This was nothing new to Sarah, as Graves had told her as much himself. Graves was a good friend of her family, and he often offered great advice to her, even if he wasn't always around to help her. She had begun to consider him something of a mentor to her. Something her aunt disliked, but kept her mouth shut on.

"However," Hammond continued, his voice subdued. "Less than two hours ago, the Council wanted him arrested, as they'd ordered a retreat from the system. An order Graves wisely ignored."

Now Sarah started to pay closer attention. This was new to her. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised, as the Council was, in her opinion, mostly made up of idiots, with a few exceptions like Hammond. Yet, to actually have Graves arrested? This would stir the people against the Council, for sure.

But Sarah, being a mere 12-year old, couldn't do much at the moment about it. She decided to wait for the response. The people around her were starting to mutter among themselves, with some even considering marching to the High-Council chamber and demanding Graves' release. Hammond stopped them, though.

"They had Graves put on a quick war trial of their own making, bypassing any judge or military tribunal. They ignored our own laws. Laws they made up themselves. They ignored the will of the people, because they felt threatened by Graves."

She could see what Hammond was doing, stirring the people up for something big later on. Sarah began to stand on her toes on the bench she stood on. This would be interesting.

"However, a little while later, The Council has been… relieved of their duties." Hammond said with a sad, yet resolute voice. Secretly Sarah suspected he had wanted the council gone for a long time, and was reveling in this.

"I now give the stage to Captain Graves, who will provide a better explanation for you."

At this point, Hammond stepped aside, and Graves came into view. Sarah saw he had put on his dress uniform, and that his medals were shining. Despite knowing it was merely for the Cameras for the people at home, Sarah couldn't help but being impressed by his appearance. Graves stood at the speaker's area, and adjusted the microphone.

"Thank you, Mr. Hammond." He then properly turned to the people. "the Council had wanted me put on trial, because they viewed me as a threat to their power. At this very moment, I am publishing all evidence the people need to charge the Councilors for Corruption and abuse of power."

Sarah checked her chatter. Indeed, people were already speaking up about the controversial evidence being released.

"With the aid of Councilors Michael Hammond and Lyrenne Castilla, however, the Council was arrested instead, and the Specters are guarding them in the brig as I speak. But let's start with who we are." Graves said. He gestured to the symbol behind him, the symbol of the R.I.F.

"We are the R.I.F., each and every one of us. We are different from the United Rebel Front, or the rising New Colonial Alliance. Unlike them, we have always held the original ideals of the UNSC at heart. We have always obeyed their laws, paid our taxes, and even fought for them on a few occasions."

Most of the people nodded. So far Graves was telling the truth: everyone here was a UNSC defector, or descended from one. They still had the ideals of freedom, equal rights and chances at heart.

"However," Graves continued. "This paradise, this dream, we seek, is spoiled by one entity." He paused for dramatic effect. "The Office of Naval Intelligence."

At this, multiple people spoke up in outrage. Sarah could sympathize with that: the majority of people had left because ONI had wronged their lives at one point or another. Allison herself was in fact a former Special Forces soldier herself, having fought for ONI. Graves, however, looked on, and, seeing his gaze, the people quieted down. As they slowly did, Sarah saw something: Multiple Waypoint crews standing near Graves, recording him. The entire R.I.F. was seeing this!

"ONI has made our lives miserable for their own gain. They bombed insurrectionist cities, killing thousands of civilians. They've kidnapped Children for Experiments. They even Killed everyone present at a riot because said riot was bad for their image!" Graves started rising in volume. "I say no more! No more suffering! No more crimes against humanity!" the people started to cheer for him. Sarah joined them. "The Council was too afraid, hiding in the dark, more focused on taking power over the other through Schemes, rather than actually doing something against ONI." Graves then gestured down, at the people watching him. "They wasted our resources on mere power games, instead of using it for the purpose we told them to. But no more. I promise, from here on out, I will use it to build us a fleet powerful enough to rival anything ONI can throw at us!"

The people were now screaming and yelling at Graves, chanting him on, screaming his name. they truly believed in him, Sarah realized. She couldn't be prouder of the man.

"I don't care if it takes me a year, or a century to stop them! But I promise all of you: I won't stop, I will not rest, Until ONI has been put down, under a central control, no longer able to commit the atrocities it commits now due to a lack of oversight! We will stop this!"

People were now cheering Graves on, and Sarah could see they had received what the people of Troy, and everyone watching across the Galaxy loyal to them, had sought for a long time: a flicker of Hope.

Maybe the fact Graves committed a coup could be forgiven after all.

* * *

 _A Pawn has been raised to become a king, and the towers and Knights are being brought together,_

 _all so we can be free._

 _and ONI will fall._

* * *

 **Our Graves now finds himself at the top of his foodchain. but will it be enough to overcome the Threat that is coming?**

 **We will have to wait and see**

 **as usual, reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **Gharst OmenLumin**


End file.
